Gaijin
by Tsuki Kitsune Moon Fox
Summary: Jumping into a new country feet first is hard. Michelle is doing just that though. She travels from America to Japan to teach English. Turns out that is easier said then done. She is trying to survive a country that isn't as warm to outsiders as it would have you believe and just trying to survive she is doomed. Demons think she has the gem they want! Welcome to Japan, Gaijin.
1. Intro (revised)

_6/19/15: This chapter has been revised and details have been added. Some small details have been added that clarify and flow with details in the later storyline. Other details have been clarified._

_This chapter has been revised as of 1/4/2015 with the aid of the wonderful and brave Dumbrat. Give her a round of applause for being brave enough to work as an editor for this story. _

_I do take the liberty to tweak the story line some as this is my story, not the original story. Due to some moral issues I have upped the age of the main cast. This story will in time earn the M rating and I cannot write this as I would with the main cast being middle school students._

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I also focus on a realistic look at what life in Japan is like for foreigners. Each odd, weird, rude, horrible or amazing experience related to the culture is based on true experiences by gaijin in Japan. It is not all roses like many will believe, but it is an amazing country that even knowing all of this, I still love.

Small feminine hands shove the green sleeve into the black suitcase, amazed it was able to zip closed. Turning to the window and taking in the bleak rainy landscape of Seattle. She mentally runs through the check list, trying to think of anything else she needs to pack. Her phone buzzes from its place on her bedside table and is quickly grabbed up with a sigh. Her hand brushed against a palm sized river stone, causing it wobble unnoticed.

"Yes?" She asks, short and to the point. There was no reason to check the caller ID or ask who was calling; only one person would be brave or dumb enough to call at 11 at night.

"Michelle!" The woman still sounded the same as she did back in high school. The voice on the other end of the phone was bubbly and energetic. Michelle pinched the bridge of her nose, feeling too tired to have any kind of conversation, let alone one with someone such as Sara.

"Can you believe we leave tomorrow? I hope I have everything packed. I'm so excited!" She looked at the clock on the nightstand. It was so late, how could this girl still have so much energy?

"Sara, go to bed." God end this phone call.

"I just wanted to see if you could suggest anything else I should pack. I can hardly think straight." The girl pleaded in a pouty voice. Holy cats, plan for yourself.

"A few sticks of deodorant. Ten or so. Now, goodnight." Pink lips smiled at the empty threat, she wouldn't really hang up on her friend.

"What? Wait, why? They have deodorant in Japan, I'm sure." Michelle could easily picture the look of confusion that would be gracing Sara's face.

She heaves another sigh. Like many of the lucky men and women who had been accepted into this teaching program, Sara had no idea what she was getting into. She had a romanticized idea of Japan that was largely Cherry Blossoms, temples and festivals.

"Japanese deodorant sucks. Look it up." With that her pale finger ended the call. It was too late, and she was too tired to deal with this right now. Sara would get the culture shock she has coming soon enough. Sara knew Michelle would never fallow through on a threat to hang up on her. It would always come with no warning, such as now.

Really, it is amazing they both made it into the same program at the same time. Sara holds onto the idea of how cool it would be if they were assigned to the same location, or even the same schools. Michelle, ever the realist, knows how unlikely that would be. Yet, she also knew how unlikely it was they both made it into the program in the first place and that vary thing did happen. She spent her last week telling her friend ' anything can happen' and cleaning out her apartment.

It would be pointless to keep paying rent for a home she wouldn't see for a year, maybe longer. She couldn't afford to do so if she wanted to anyway. In the past few months she sold much of her belongings and sent a few boxes off to friends' houses for safe keeping. She had little living family left and none she was both felt close enough to and was actually living close enough to hold onto her belongings.

Much of what she owned fit into the single suit case. In many ways she was looking forward to starting over. This is not to say she was not sad to part with some of her belongings.

She collapses onto the naked bed. It was one of the only things other than the suitcase and its contents not in storage. Her fire red hair is fanned out around her, green eyes drift close as the moonlight shines through the small window and kisses her skin. Sleep comes surprisingly peacefully tonight; the pitter patter of rain was helpful.

Her last night in America passed uneventfully with little time spent on worrying how her next year would pan out. The deed was done. She had signed the contract and would be an English teacher in some school, probably schools, in Japan for the next year. With her luck she would probably land in some small fishing village. God, how she hates the smell of fish.

Dreams came and went throughout the night, as they tend to do. Nothing she could recall that next morning as the screaming alarm on her phone pulled her out of bed at an hour far too early for a sane person.

Do sane people move around the world on a whim just out of college though? Michelle didn't think so as she slipped into comfortable clothes for the long day ahead.


	2. Airports Oh My! (chap 1 revised)

_We all know the YYH gang. But you don't know my girls. Because of that, I'm going to spend some time on them and their story. I feel to glaze over their trip to Japan would do them a disservice as well as any readers. ELT is a made up program. Though I have been to Japan as a student, I have not actually been as a teacher. But I know many who have or who currently are. My and their personal experiences in Japan are what I am basing many of bits of this story on._

_1/19/2015- Again, you have the amazing Dumbrat to thank for giving this the once over it painfully needed. Please enjoy. _

_6/19/15: Chapter has been revised to add clarity and small details. No material changes to the story or characters have been made._

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Chapter One

Cold light illuminated the room as the alarm on her phone went off, quiet at first but growing ever louder as it was ignored. A groan escaped parted pink lips as her hands snatched at the phone, silencing its tantrum for the time being.

Morning has arrived. It was the last morning she will have on American soil for a long times. After acknowledging that she couldn't will morning away, long fingers type in the number for a local cab company on the touch screen and set the phone to speaker. While she waited she busied herself with double checking that everything is out of her apartment and packing the last few items. In an effort to keep her mind busy she busied her hands shoving a toothbrush and hairbrush into her bag. They are all simple small items that left behind would not be the end of the world but would be inconvenient none the less. Her charger cable for her phone is wrapped around small fingers and tucked away as well as the wall plug in.

The ringing is replaced by a man's voice. Michelle gives him the address as she shrugs on her jacket. She pulls her bag out the door and pauses. Gazing into the apartment that has been her home for the last four years as she studied at a local university. How time flew by. Reaching in, she grabs the umbrella that was almost forgotten and closes the door. She leaves it unlocked with the keys on the kitchen counter. The landlord would be by at a more decent hour, not willing to pull himself out of bed at six in the morning and he would claim the key then.

Michelle guessed that this hour was not many people's idea of a decent hour. It most certainly wasn't hers. Walking down the hall she idly eyes the umbrella. Mrs. Miller, a kind squat old woman gives her a 'good morning' as she comes to the door of a building. Such a sweet lady, though she has always had an odd habit of checking her mail early in the morning every day, though the mailman normally arrives just after noon. She would then walk to the café down the street. This morning appeared to be no exception.

The sky is starting to open up again allowing rain to fall from the dark gray clouds. Michelle holds out the umbrella, offering it to Mrs. Miller. "Take it, I don't need it."

The woman is one of few words. That is why they got along over the years. She just nods her head and accepts the offering. The old woman has scolded the younger woman for never using an umbrella in the past and the easy acceptance of the offer brings a small smile to Michelle's lips. The old woman did not wish to part with a lecture, even if it had become a bit of a joke between them. Michelle knows she can always buy another in Japan if she is assigned to an area that gets a lot of rain. She probably would be just as bad at using one in Japan as she is here.

The wait for the cab is a quiet one. Not much happens early in the morning. As it pulls up she goes to the back. The trunk pops open and she puts her bag in. The driver, demonstrating his perfectly gentlemanly ways, doesn't even make a move to get out of the vehicle. Getting in, she requests the airport and thinks for the drive, wishing she was still asleep.

"So, where you off to?" He attempts at small talk. Michelle only offers silence in return.

English Language Teachers, the program Michelle is contracted with arranged her airfare. All of this round of teachers will be arriving in Japan around the same time from all around the United States. Their program is one of the smaller ones, only hiring 75 teachers at a time.

Everyone is to land at Narita International Airport will be shuttled to a nearby hotel for the introductory meeting. It is there that they will receive their assignments. She doesn't know what happens after that or where she will go. Uncertainty is one thing she hates and yet was promised to come with the program.

The driver breaks her trance, announcing the fee twice before catching her attention. Unreasonably high, as usual. He probably took her dazed state as a chance to run the meter as she hadn't even realized they had stopped. He could have driven across the city twice over and she wouldn't have been aware of a thing. The world outside was as dark and damp as it was when she zoned out but the clock on the dash told her she wasn't running too much later than she planned.

After paying the man she retrieved her bag. The driver stayed inside the warm shelter of the cab, content to stay dry as he had already been paid. A potential tip didn't seem to be worth getting wet. Slowly she made her way inside and got her boarding pass. The airport was quiet with few people milling around. She joined the somehow still long security line. It would be quick and painless she told herself. She only had her purse, opting to not take a carry-on bag.

Ten or so heads in front of her was a brunette who was visibly bursting with excitement. Her purple carry-on bag was so bright it made Michelle's head hurt looking at it this early in the morning. Sara was not a girl she wanted to deal with until she had a cup of coffee or possibly three. Michelle made a point to do everything in her power to not catch her friend's attention.

The line moved fast all things considered. Sara managed to not notice Michelle but after clearing security took a seat nearby and waited. Inwardly Michelle groaned. It appeared Sara was waiting for her. The brunette pulled out her phone as Michelle cleared the body scanner . Her own phone started going off shortly after, catching Sara's eye. Caught. Dammit.

As soon as Michelle was free from security, the brunette rushed her. High pitched and excited talk filled the redhead's ears as she ignored Sara and went directly for the first cafe she spotted. This did not affect Sara, who whole heartedly believed that her friend of ten years was intently listening to how excited she was, how she knew they would be placed together and how she just knew it would be somewhere super cool like Kyoto or the outskirts of Tokyo. How Sara knew these things, Michelle didn't know nor did she care. The woman was sure of herself and her positive thinking and it drove Michelle insane at times.

As Michelle nursed her coffee, Sara chatted on. Her chatter has moved on to all the guys she is going to meet and how she is going to find "the one", she just knows it. Sara won't have any trouble finding a boyfriend in Japan, of that Michelle was sure.

From what Michelle has been told it is much more acceptable for men to date foreigners than for women to do so. Foreign women seemed to be somewhat of an exotic prize. The Japanese place much more value on cute as well, something Sara seems to be the embodiment of.

Though Sara is taller than Michelle, she had a much more girlish look to her. Her chest is on the smaller side but with her slightly narrower hips, she looks much like a teenager. Her wavy hair is often tied up but is currently allowed to fall freely in chocolate waves that cascade down her shoulders. Sara's skin is a light olive color. In a word, the woman is adorable.

Michelle on the other hand is short. Her legs are still long when compared to her body size but few men would take notice. Her chest is on the small side as well but in all reality her smaller body gives them more presence on her. While loose, the strands of fire reach her lower back. She doesn't really care about her hair, allowing it to grow to her lower back more out of laziness than for the sake of a fashion statement. Her pale skin gives a striking contrast.

After chugging down her coffee, Michelle throws her hair into a messy bun, wanting to not have to deal with it for a while. Sara at some point stopped talking and fetched her own drink; probably tea. Together they walk to the gate. Sara, now over her initial excitement continues to chat at Michelle, though at a much quieter and calmer pace. The talk has now shifted to the trip itself.

Over ten hours on a plane waits for them. They got lucky, with recent advancements passenger aircraft are now able to travel between Seattle and Tokyo without needing to stop for fuel. Their trip could have taken over 15 hours if a layover was required. That really can make a girl thankful for an 11 hour plane ride. Sara and Michelle had booked their seats together. Though Michelle can often times get annoyed and exasperated with Sara, they are close friends and she can think of no one she would rather spend an 11 hour plane ride stuck next too even if Sara never shut up. It would be even better of Sara napped through part of it but Michelle would be grateful to at least not have to sit next to a stranger.

Boarding was uneventful really. Sara had to wrangle with her over stuffed carry-on bag but had managed to get it shoved into the overhead compartment. It took the help of two young men who are also a part of the ELT program. Sara thought this was the funniest thing. Her laughter drew the eyes of an elder Asian couple who appeared to frown on it. Michelle sighed at the look they received for her friend's antics. Not even in Japan yet and Sara is standing out like a sore thumb.

Their flight took off after a boring hour on the tarmac. Sara chatted with anyone who would listen. Every chance Michelle was given she looked over her notes. Like many of the people in the ELT program, she studied Japanese language in university and she took this as an opportunity to get some last minute studying in before she hit the 'sink or swim' moment.

Sara would do well to follow her friend's lead. Sara had studied Japanese in High School but hardly used it over the last four years and was very rusty. Sara had studied Accounting in University. An English degree or Japanese language skills are not a requirement for this particular program. ELT believes that native speakers of English are best suited to teach the language and allow the students to truly practice the skills they learn. Their only real requirements are being able to commit to a year contract and having a bachelor's degree. The sheer amount of applicants is what makes it so hard to get into ELT and many other similar programs.

The plane ride itself was uneventful. Sara entertained herself chatting with anyone who would listen. Michelle gazed out the window as the sky moved around them. At times Sara napped and Michelle listened to audio books or music. Sitting for such a long amount of time was amazingly draining and combined with the drastic time difference it left Michelle ready for bed. When the wheels hit the ground, everyone on board was exhausted, few could hold up well on a trip of this length. Even Sara was toned down and mellow compared to her normal.

Slowly the group moved through the airport. Other foreigners added themselves to the group as they walked by. Some asked if others are a part of ELT, others just assumed. As the group of now 30 reach the baggage claim someone spots a Caucasian man in a suit, holding a sign reading 'ELT'. Everyone gathers around him after collecting their bags.

Most of the group had two bags to claim. One girl, seemingly just as perky and cheery as Sara had three bags. Not one to be outdone, Sara had four bags in addition to her carry on. Michelle chuckled watching others struggle with their bags as she pulled her single bag behind her as the group followed the man to a small bus. Everyone loaded up and considering the amount of luggage, it was amazing everyone fit inside. The trip to the hotel was a loud one, everyone talking at once trying to get to know each other. Michelle doubted anyone really heard and understood what another person was saying.

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_I'm surprised to have a review already. From a guest. Well, guest- I am happy that you found it refreshing. I love Japan. I loved my time in the country and I loved the many Japanese friends I have made. But to tell the truth, I want to give an honest view of what it is like being a foreigner in Japan. Many stories here think it is all peaches and roses and honey, that ain't the truth. I promise we will meet at least one familiar face in the next chapter._

_1/19/2015 again, thank the Dumbrat of awesomeness for her hard work. Updates will continue to be sporadic at best. Reviews are welcome, even if they are over critical and hurt my feelings. I'll get over it- I promise! 3 _

_6/19/15: this concludes the revision of Chapter 1. _


	3. Dinner and a quiz (chap 2)

_[Thank you to my second guest reviewer for the kind words. Bonus points to them for catching my use of "flu" rather than "flew". Goes to show that I do my writing late at night after my daughter has gone to bed when I should be sleeping. I have one vote so far for long bookish chapters. That is my personal preference. Though I probably won't make chapters as long as a book here as it is hard to keep place without the pages to break up the text somewhat. Really, if I go with longer chapters it will probably be two to three postings to make up an actual chapter if printed as a book._

_6/19/15: Only minor revisions to this chapter. _

At the hotel the group of mostly young adults was gathered into a large conference room. Most everyone was dragging their feet, clearly spent and suffering from the sever jet lag. Tokyo is a whopping 16 hours ahead of Seattle and the time difference would likely take days to adjust to.

Sara and Michelle's plane finally managed to take off at around 9 Am on a Monday. Their bodies are feeling as if it should be 8 Pm on the same day. Due to the magic of time zones the current time in Tokyo is around Noon on Tuesday. When they eventually make the return trip, they will essentially travel back in time, landing in Seattle when according to the calendar and clocks they should just be leaving. Really, it is truly impressive to think about. Right now, no one in the room was feeling impressed; rather disheartened that time to sleep was still so far off.

The man who had escorted the group hadn't bothered introducing himself but stood at the head of the table as he waited for everyone to take seats. The man was tall, around six feet if not a little above. His hair was a sandy blonde and simple glasses sheltered his soft brown eyes. Being older than everyone in the group, he gave off a warm fatherly aura even in his dark suit. As chatter died down, he began to speak in perfect English only slightly touched with an English accent.

"First off, let me say: Welcome to Japan. I know that you all are very tired. You made a great journey to get here and will have your well-earned rest soon enough. Dinner will be brought in shortly. No doubt, you are all hungry. I know airplane food is almost as bad as hospital food." He pauses to smile at his own small joke. A few chuckles come from the group. Michelle is too tired but offers a small smile. Sara on the other hand gives a hearty laugh.

He continues, "For now I have some basic information to go over with you all." His face takes on a more serious expression.

"Whenever not inside your home, carry your visa and identification on you at all times. If it is lost, immediately go to the embassy to receive another. Authorities have full right to request to see your paperwork at any given time. Having it on your person will save you a lot of troubles and time, trust me.

Remember to contact us if you have any problems. Most of you have been set up with housing that ELT owns. I will speak to the few of you that are going to be in rental rooms. Every one of you will be taking over the housing of a former ELT teacher who has chosen to leave Japan. Many leave useful items for the next person to use. We encourage you to respect those items however they are yours to do with as you please.

Most of you are in traditional housing, without bathing facilities. You will be provided with the location of the local bath house with your assignment documents. Public bath houses tend to be cheap and individual privacy tends to be lacking in them. Get used to it.

I must remind you all, this is not America. You will do best to adapt a 'Japanese' attitude. You will have hardships, your feelings will get hurt and you will work over time. Learn and adopt the culture and this will be a much better experience." As he finished up this lasst and in many ways most important point, servers came into the room carrying large pots of stew, burners and bowls.

They made quick work of setting a few pots along the length of the table as well a basket of chopsticks, a pot of rice and pots of tea. This was a basic and informal stew meal. Everyone would dish the desired amount of rice and pick out of the pot what they wished. Large spoons rested in the pots for those that would like the juice as well. A small cup held forks and spoons for anyone who may not know how to use chopsticks or not be comfortable with them. Everyone quickly dished up before the man spoke again.

"Now, your greatest support through the next year of your stay here is everyone in this room. You are all Gaijin. Does anyone know exactly what that means?"

A man with a shaved head raised his hand. He was young, with dark eyes and even darker skin. " A foreigner." He spoke, plain as day as if it was something as simple as that before returning to his meal. The man in the suit sighed and spoke again.

"Yes, but here it means so much more than that. Anyone else have any ideas?"

"Someone who is not Japanese." Michelle's Clear voice rang out as she spoke with confidence. "Someone who as such is not a part of Japan, are not a part of the country, the group and never can be. Gaijin will always be just that, Gaijin." She paused before continuing. This was a lesson her Japanese Professor made sure his class understood. "Gaijin is used often in a derogatory sense to mean 'one who doesn't belong'. When used, it can be as simple as stating a fact or it can be used to cut like a knife." The man smiled at her.

"Very good. It will do you all good to remember that. 'Gaijin' in many ways is now a part of your identity. It is the first thing people will think when they see you. It can and probably will cause you hurt. Your best defense against sorrow and loneliness is fellow gaijin. Make friends with someone so you have someone to turn to that understands. "At this, he returns to his food.

Everyone is quite at first, thinking while eating. For some, the lesson was a slap in the face to some of them. This won't be easy like they thought. For others, such as the African American man that spoke up to answer the question that seemed so easy, it will be a continued battle that now has different rules. Slowly, people start talking to their neighbors. He is right after all; they need friends to make it through this. They all see that now.

The man finishes his small serving first and gathers envelopes before speaking again. "It is time for formal introductions. It should have happened sooner, for that I apologize." He stands. "My name is Tim Hage, I am your program coordinator. Hajimemashite." He says with a bow. Some students look confused at the Japanese tacked on at the end but none question him as they finish their plates. "As I call your name, please come up and collect your assignments and introduce yourself."

And so the parade begins. A John goes up first. The group is a good mix of ethnicity. Sara is one of the first called up. Her introduction includes that she loves purple, pink and is so very excited to meet everyone. Always cheery. Before here, everyone has just given their name and where they are from. Michelle is one of the last called up. She, like others, just gives the bare minimum of an introduction, too tired to care.

Michelle is pulled over by Sara who is chanting that she must see where Michelle is going. Sara's face breaks out into a huge grin after snatching the papers from Michelle. The girl starts jumping up and down with excitement, her waves bouncing with her body. Michelle is happy that Sara is pleased with her assignment however still hasn't gotten to see where she is going.

"We are both gong to Arakawa, Tokyo!" Sara announces with a laugh. Mr. Hage makes his way over to them.

"It seems you two know each other already?" He questions with a smile.

Michelle just nods, feeling the need to be quite to make up for the volume of Sara's rambling.

"You two are in a two bedroom apartment, unlike some others, yours's does have a traditional Japanese bathroom complete with a tub. However, it is down for repair, scheduled to take place later this month. "He mumbles looking over the paperwork. "Oh, the unit has the option of including a fridge or two bicycles, your preference?" He asks smiling. He has never had any choose to go without a fridge in order to avoid the expense of purchasing a bike before.

Michelle told him that she indeed, did want a fridge in the apartment. Who would have guessed? Somehow as unlikely as it seemed, both Sara and Michelle managed to be placed in the same location, though both assigned to some different schools. Both girls had one elementary school and a high school as their assignments. Both girls would be teaching at the same elementary school. They got off easy; some had three of four schools to teach at.

Slowly groups dispersed to their rooms. They had one night of rest before the race to get settled in their new homes. Classes start on Monday.

_Arakawa is a district of Tokyo. Tokyo itself has 13 ward districts and is just massive. I do not know what district the gang are in so forgive me for taking some liberty with this._

_Mr. Hage's lesson on the word 'gaijin' was a bit of a mix of what I was taught before my stay in Japan as a student and what my friend was taught before her stay as a teacher. Like many words in Japanese, gaijin has a underlying meaning as I tried to explain._

_Hajimemashite is one of the words that don't directly translate. Many simple translate it as "nice to meet you" but that is only the quick answer that is good enough. It really means something more along the lines of "please be kind to me" and is thus a request to begin the relationship on a kind note._

_I promise in the next chapter you will get to see a face you already know._


	4. Trains (chap 3 revised)

Hello again! It's been so long since I have written. Years before I started this story. All the positive words have been great to hear. Thank you! Dumbrat- You gets the cookie for catching the editing errors. I'm sure you will find a few this time as well. I'm happy you are finding my work informative as well as a decent read. Any questions anyone has about Japan and Japanese culture, if you ask me them I'll try to work their answers into the story. I will be using some Japanese language in off and on, mostly when I don't have an adequate English translation for the word.

6/20/15: Minor revisions, nothing too special!

Most members of the ELT group went to bed early the previous night and slept until the last minute in a desperate attempt to both recover from the jet lag and to adjust their internal clocks to the drastic time difference. A difference of 16 hours will take a few days to adjust to however no matter what but that does not stop the young adults from trying. Having to be awake and back in the conference room by six in the morning does offer some assistance in preventing them from sleeping until mid or late morning.

Mr. Tim Hage waits for the students while sipping on coffee. Though he tried to prepare them, he knows that many of them won't really have much of a clue what they are getting themselves into. His mind wonders a bit as he mentally takes bets on who is going to be calling him soonest, most often and who will break their contracts and return to America first. Heaving a sigh, he begins nibbling a muffin and shifts uncomfortably in his suit. One of the last things to run through his mind before people start trickling in is that maybe he should return to America. Teaching Japanese at home he wouldn't have to wear an uncomfortable suit.

Sara groans and covers her head with the blanket. Cold hands shake her again after yanking the cloth away. Green eyes glare down at the dozing women. Thump. Thump. Thump. Sara screams and dives out of the bed. Three ice cubes rest in her place.

"What. The. Hell?!" her voice high with what she was sure was a righteous rage. Right now, Sara could be snoozing away happy in a warm bed. Her eyes drifted to the clock, planning on using it to determine how much more time she could have been sleeping to use against her friend in her rant. What the clock tells her however, is that it is 5:45 am and she would be lucky to get a shower.

Michelle just waits and watches as the gears in Sara's head turn. Sara is so expressive; one can watch her think and pinpoint that exact moment when something falls into place. Sara suddenly makes a mad dash for the bathroom. The last block had fallen into place and Sara remembered that their apartment currently doesn't have a working shower. Ten minutes later she is out and throwing things in her bag.

They join the group in the conference room at two after six and thus are one of the last to join the group. Mr. Hage passes out train passes and a map to the train station. People exchange phone numbers and chat over coffee and muffins. The train leaves the station at 8 leaving them with a little time to spare. Soon enough pairs and small groups leave. Transportation to the train is not provided.

With the exception of rent, ELT will provide them with nothing further. ELT will step in and provide support and counsel should anyone have unreasonable issues with their assignment or wish to break contract however, the individual would be on the hook for transportation costs to the United States or to a new assignment should they require a change.

The program owns most of the housing so rent is not a concern for program sponsors. The program provided teachers with work and a livable wage as well as getting them to their neighborhood but beyond that, each needs to do for themselves. ELT provides some of the best wages for their teaching staff. However, those who are bad with money or wish for more than they have will end up taking on private English students. Others will chase after culture. Some will hunt for love.

Michelle and Sara thank Mr. Hage for all of his help and are one of the first to leave. Their walk is a short one as the train station is only a mile from the hotel. They take their time with it. They soak up the sights as they move through the mass of people all going about their business. Michelle wonders if maybe this is what it would be like to walk through New York City. They are in the heart of Tokyo.

"I wonder if this is what it feels like to be an ant?" Sara asks randomly as they cross a massive crosswalk with a large group of people. Sidewalks were packed everywhere they looked.

"Donno." Michelle answers dumbly. She was tired. She was cranky and to top it all off, she was having to swim up current through what appears to be enough people to populate the whole of New York City. While all the people seemed to moving as one mass, few interacted with each other. The change from what had been their normal left both Sara and Michelle feeling alone.

Though it is a business day, the traffic leaving this station was massive. The girls are swept with the flow of the people down the stairs and into the subway station. Michelle's Japanese is much better then Sara's and so she leads the way to their platform. They wait with the countless other people. Most everyone looks the same. Few students are around due to most schools being in session at the moment. Dark hair and suits are everywhere.

Its three minutes and five seconds till eight when their train was scheduled to arrive. Michelle starts counting down the seconds under her breath as Sara looks at her confused.

"Five. Four. Three. Two." The train pulls to a stop as she smiles.

"Whoa! How did you know?!" Sara tugs at Michelle's arm and looks at her with large eyes.

"Lucky guess?" Michelle just offers a smile. She had always heard that you could set a watch by a Japanese train, always three minutes early and it appears to be true.

Everyone waits as the cars empty but as soon as the last soul is off, masses of people move onto the train. Michelle and Sara are swept into the car along with everyone around her however they are one of last people on, leaving them standing closer to the doors. In the corner of Michelle's vision she could swear she saw red hair but is distracted as it moves somewhere behind her and the last people cram in. Strangely Michelle and Sara are given extra room, though it is really hard to tell and the girls are still too new to the country to notice.

As the train beings to move the girls are squished together. Michelle's chest smashed into Sara's arm and Sara's slightly pressed against the back of a suit. Halfway through the ride, Michelle feels a man press closer against her back. She thinks nothing of it at first, the train is packed. This man however seems to be standing closer to her then others but it's so hard to tell.

The person must just have needed to shift their body to be more comfortable. Her mind quickly changes as she feels a large hand on her, gently at fist brushing her rear before more firmly gripping her through her jeans. Michelle can feel each of his fingers as they dig into her flesh.

She knows what is expected of her. Just move away the best she can and keep quite. Don't make a scene, don't draw attention to yourself. She however, is still new and hasn't had time to adjust and adopt such a meek attitude. The situation forces her to pretend and swallow the instinct screaming through her to yell, slap and push this disgusting man away from her.

She squirms as she tries to turn and request the person not grope her but is unsuccessful. She can only see the man when her neck was twisted as far as she could and not for long. From what she could see, he looked like most everyone around her. In one attempt to talk with the man she sees a glimpse of red hair again. Sara is unable to really tell what is going on and mumbles at Michelle to stop squirming.

When Michelle moves to turn again Sara is able to shift enough to allow her to complete part of her turn. As she is battling to turn she is unaware of what is happening behind her. A taller young man with long red hair has seen what is going on. He is disgusted by the man's actions and to be treating a gaijin in such a way. His actions would reflect on the country as a whole in this one young woman's eyes and in the eyes of all who she would tell.

Beyond that, the fact that any male would treat a female in such a way causes his mouth to twitch in disgust. He can see that other's nearby see what is going on but pretend not to and fail to act. Part of the problem is the view many have of foreigners. More so the problem is no one wanting to be the first to stand out.

The red haired man shifts and shuffles bringing himself closer to the man who in all reality was almost right next to him the whole time while mentally cursing the volume of people in the car. People shift to allow him through and are no doubt annoyed. He offers murmured apologies as he goes. As the girl turns to face forward again he reaches out and grabs the man's hand and removes it from her while he moves in front of the disgusting little man who takes the hint and shuffles back.

Michelle is able to turn just as she feels a shuffling behind her. Sara manages to stumble a bit with all of Michelle's squirming and pushes Michelle into the man, hard. He stands firm, only letting out a bit of a breath as her shoulder hits him in the chest. She looks up at him, her green eyes meeting their match. A Japanese man with red hair and green eyes looks down at her. How strange.

"Arigatou gozaimasu, Gomenasai" Michelle mumbles, bowing her head to him quickly as a slight blush at the situation creeps up on her cheeks.

"Dou Itashimashite" he answers quietly in a silky voice, surprised to hear how well the girl who is clearly gaijin by her own peachy pale skin and red hair speaks the Japanese language.

"Everything okay?" Sara asks just a little too loudly in English, unable to see what is going on with her friend. The burnet was annoyed and yet concerned over Michelle's wiggling and squirming.

"Yeah, fine." Michelle answers in a much softer voice noticing the looks Sara received for her louder voice.

The rest of the ride passed quickly. Michelle kept her eyes forward studying the shoulder of the man's shirt that hovered just two inches from her face. Containing her curiosity of the man she was pressed into was a challenge. She knew however examining him or questioning him was not appropriate at that moment. He looked Japanese enough however his skin and a pale milky color to it and his hair was a red that was tinged with pink yet looked natural enough judging from his eyebrows.

Michelle had seen people wear wigs and dye their hair colors such as his however; they never seemed to look natural. The color never seemed to belong on them. The soft red of his hair looked to be a part of him and as natural as the sub. It was mind boggling. Michelle took the time to be jealous over the volume she could see in his hair. Her own hair was lacking a bit in the natural volume department and with time and hair products, would appear thick and lush if she wished it. When she was lazy, the subtle wave in her locks did a good enough job.

Soon enough the train stops gently and the doors open. Michelle wasn't paying enough attention and was jerked forward, into the man's chest before bouncing back. His hands steady her and before she can thank him again she and Sara are swept out of the car by the flow of people. In the process she loses sight of the red haired man who rescued her.

"What was the squirm fest about?" Sara questioned as they climbed the stairs into the light of day. The girls followed their map and hoped that Mr. Hage was reliable in his directions. As they moved away from the station people spread out and dispersed. They had much more breathing room then in Central Tokyo.

"I got groped." Michelle stated plain as day. Sara's eyes got large and she nearly dropped the handles to her bags. How the women managed to drag the three large bags Michelle had no idea. Michelle did help her though, and was dragging Sara's purple carry-on bag in addition to her own large bag.

"I thought that was only in anime?!" Her voice rose in volume and pitch, drawing eyes to her. "Do we need to go to the police?! Let's find a cop!" Michelle sighed. "Where do we find cops here?" Their conversation was in English so at least those around them don't know what they are talking about.

"No. Shut up." Michelle ordered, though her voice wasn't what drew the attention to them. "Nothing can be done. It is fine. It's just how things are. I'm sure it won't happen all the time" Michelle finished as they turned at an intersection.

"Are you sure?" Sara asked softly and at Michelle's nod, the topic was dropped. Talking about sexual harassment in such a dismissing manner made Sara feel slightly sick.

Their talk drifted to how they liked the feel of the neighborhood and how the area had a good amount of small local commercial businesses but little industry and only some taller office buildings. Their area was more of a residential catering to families and their needs. Many of the adults living here no doubt commute to work.

After twenty minutes they came to a building with a matching address. It was three stories tall and each floor had ten units lined up with stairs on each end of the building. The girls walked along each floor as they look for their unit, 4C. They found their unit on the top floor. Theirs was not an end unit so they will have to be aware of being too loud on both sides of their new home.

Michelle takes a deep breath as she puts the key in the lock and turns. She makes eye contact with Sara and together they count down from three, swinging open the door on one.

I think this is a good spot to stop, a girl does have to sleep you know? Let me know if you find any errors, my keyboard has been acting up but I think I may have caught all of it. I know most everyone knows "gomenasai" as 'I'm sorry' but it is more of a cross between that and 'excuse me'. Most everyone also knows "arigatou" but in that situation it is proper to add "Gozaimasu" though it doesn't change the meaning at all really- Just gives the respect that is due to a stranger.

I used "dou itashimashite" because it gets no love! It just means 'you're welcome'. I'm putting translations at the end to give the feeling of not understanding what is being said- as Sara will run into often. Nothing important will be in Japanese, I promise.

Last side note: I got my butt groped on my third train trip in Japan and was lucky enough to have the room to move away from the man. But it really does happen and some trains do have 'women only' cars however it is not an enforceable rule. Oh and I can't promise that I'll write at this pace all the time so no promise on a chapter a day continuing.

6/27/15: Just finished revising this chapter, no big changes had been made. If you happen to be traveling to Japan, check out the reviews for this chapter for a nice tip if you ever get groped on a train. It's something I wish I knew and I'm sure many others who have been in that situation would agree.


	5. Home Sweet Home (chap 4 revised)

_So, I figured that with the exception of the housing often shown in Anime, most of you are not familiar with a typical Japanese apartment. Most of what is shown in Anime would be actual houses or higher priced apartments. Chobits actually shows a typical cheap place pretty well but it doesn't have a bathroom- a trait that is fairly typical for lower priced rentals depending on location._

_6/27/2015: annnd revision time! I have chapter 17 from dumbat and ready to post, however I'm making all these changes first. She has chapter 18 to work on. I have up to half way of chapter 20 written so yeah…_

* * *

The door swung open slowly to reveal the dark apartment. The curtains had been drawn closed by the previous tenant and the air smelled old and stale. As the girls moved in they kept quite for a moment. The space gave off the feeling of mourning, the previous tenant that had abandoned it to return to the States. As the last bag crossed the threshold, Sara pulled the door closed. For a moment, they just stood in the dark before Michelle removed her shoes and crossed the room to the large panel of curtains and pulled them back revealing the sliding glass door that leads to their small balcony.

Bright noonday sun filled the space and instantly banished the gloom. Michelle pulled the door open, allowing fresh air into the room. The few simple actions had managed to breathe life into the space, however little and break the spell that seemed to have hold over the apartment. It was small, likely designed for university students on a budget.

Sara followed Michelle into the room, leaving her shoes on however. Michelle gave the brunette a hard look. Sara has a lot to learn about life in Japan and Michelle would have to teach her everything she knows on a crash course. Michelle however, is not an expert having never lived in Japan but she will have to do the best she can. Sara's lessons begin now.

"Go back." Michelle points to the entry and Sara gives her a confused look. "Go back to the concrete floor. Get off the mats." She then points down at the Tatami mats that cover the floor of most of the room. They only stop four feet out from the kitchen counters where linoleum marks the beginning of the kitchen area. Michelle enjoys the springy feeling under her feet. Sara does as she is told not asking any questions but her annoyance is visible.

"Take off your shoes." Michelle orders, her voice sounds like a cross between a drill Sargent and a teacher. This should have been obvious to the anime loving Sara. Sara removes a shoe and goes to place her foot down on the cold concrete floor. "No." Sara stops, her foot hovering a few inches above the floor. Michelle sighs, knowing she must explain or Sara would never understand and would proceed to make the same mistakes when visiting a Japanese home where this would matter. Michelle walks over to Sara to begin her lesson.

"Place your foot here," She points at the tatami mat and continues. "slip your other shoe off and place your foot on the mat as well. The inside of your shoes and your socks are considered clean. They may come into the home. The outside of your shoes are dirty and to wear them into the home would make it dirty. The concrete floor thus, is also dirty as it comes into contact with the outside of your shoes. To place your socked foot on it would make it dirty as well. To make a home dirty is very rude and disrespectful. Never do that." Michelle finishes her lesson with a softer smile. Oh the rules they would have to adapt to.

Together they explore the apartment. The entry hall leads into the main room. Across from the hall is the sliding door that leads to the small balcony. To the left of the door is the kitchenette area. It is painfully small and the previous tenant made the most of the space. A rice cooker sat on the counter near the door, next to a small microwave. The sink was next to that. Michelle frowned at having the electronics so close to the source of water but understands that the small space demands it. It looks like the old tenant agreed as both items had been kept unplugged. The plugs next to the sink had child proof covers placed on them, likely to keep any splashed water out. A drying rack sat in the sink with a few plates and utensils. On the other side of the sink was a small counter space with an empty glass storage jar labeled with the kanji 'rice'.

Where the counter ended, a small stove sat. The size and style reminded Michelle of the stoves in older motor homes. Folded over the burners was a cover, allowing the stove to serve as extra counter space when needed and to keep the burners clean in the process. It was likely a gas stove though neither girl moved to check. Lastly in the kitchen row was the fridge. It stood a grand total of five feet tall. Even Michelle could reach anything stored on top of it.

A small window was above the sink and a sole cabinet hung above a section of counter. A small vent was hanging over the stove. Not much gourmet meals could be prepared in this kitchen. That was not the thought behind the design. Like much of the apartment, it was small and functional- they would have the means to feed themselves and so they would not starve. That was good enough. That would have to be. Michelle would greatly miss the freedom in cooking she had in America. Sara would hardly notice as she already lived out of boxed foods.

In the living room two small shelving units sat lined up against the right wall where the tatami mats began. The one closest to the kitchen had a few pots and pans, lids and a wok. Michelle imagines that with the lack of storage space it functioned for the last tenant as an extension of the kitchen. Deep red cloth was on the floor next to the shelf. It had probably been draped over in the past to keep the dust off the items. The shelf next to it sat mostly bare, holding only a few small pots and pans.

Behind the girls, next to the wall where the hall ended was a tall bookshelf on each side of the hall. In the back left corner on a small triangular stand sat a TV. TV service was provided as well as a basic internet service through Wi-Fi throughout the building. In the center of the room was a kotatsu also known to many gaijin as heaven in colder winter months. The dark wood of the table top shined in the sun. It had been well taken care of. The quilt flowing out from under the table was deep red.

The back wall continued to the left leading to another hallway. Doors ran along the left of the hall. Michelle opened the first one to be greeted by a very small room. Inside facing the door sat a mostly western style toilet. A small sink was built into the back. The door next to this room took them to the bathing room that was due for repairs in a week. It was larger with a counter, sink and mirror. The room was tile floored and walled with a drain in the center. The floor ever so slightly tilted to the drain. A shower head on a hose and knobs are low on the wall. A large soaking tub with the hard cover over it is sitting in the back of the room. Michelle makes a mental note to teach Sara about the Japanese bath later that week.

The next two rooms each had desks and small dressers. In the closets folded futons were found. When set out, they would cover most of the exposed floor room leaving just enough room for the other furnishings and to open the door. Michelle takes the room at the end of the hall and places her bag inside before going into Sara's room.

"I'm going to go out to the convenience store real fast and grab us some lunch and something for dinner, you got any requests?" Michelle asks the girl struggling to fit all her clothes into the dresser and lower shelf of the closet.

"No, Not really. Maybe something America?" Sara responds. They would have to go shopping for food tomorrow but they needed to eat something in the meantime. Sara was feeling somewhat homesick now that she is actually in Japan. Michelle just nods her head and heads out, grabbing her purse on the way out.

She walks down the road thinking to herself. The feeling of actually being in Japan is so different and yet, in many ways feels the same. The roads are smaller, thinner. In many places in the neighborhood through the traffic was two way, the road was only about a lane and a half wide. Though Michelle knows she will probably miss her car at some point, she knows she would be terrified to drive here. It take her about 15 minutes to make it to the small shop.

She wonders down the rows with her hand basket, grabbing a few necessities. She picks up green tea, instant coffee and some milk. For Sara she picks up a breakfast cereal that looks somewhat familiar. In the frozen section she grabs a few TV dinners that look recognizable. After all the traveling her mind is shot and she is hardly bothering to try and read the words all around her. Michelle assumes she is just a bit shell shocked herself actually being here.

In the produce section she grabs a few apples, some bananas and oranges. She knows she probably grabbed too much as she has to carry it all back but is feeling too tired to go and put anything away. After standing in line her order is wrong up. The young man behind the counter is likely a college student and seems bright eyed at seeing her.

"Hello" he calls to her, his English heavy with his accent. Michelle smiles back.

"Konnichiwa" she returns, giving a slight bow. He tells her the total and she fishes the cash out of her wallet. Carrying cash again would take some getting used to. Many places outside of the city centers don't take plastic yet. The man wishes her 'good bye' and to have a "peasant day" in English. Michelle wished him a good day in Japanese and left, containing her giggles until the door closed. The man had been so excited to practice his English and had used the wrong word. Michelle didn't have the heart to correct him; Monday she would become an English teacher, no reason to start early- it is only Wednesday!

Her giggles distracted her as she stepped out onto the sidewalk and walked face first into a hard body. Her paper bag, fairly stuffed, slipped from her hands as she bounced off the form and fell back to land hard on her rear end. A cry of "itai" came from her lips before she remembered her manners and collected her legs under herself and bowed low to the form she collided with offering words of apology.

* * *

_I hope no one is getting annoyed with the pace of the story and that my frequent updates are making up for it._

_Everyone knows Konnichiwa but just in case, it means hello and is the greeting for midday starting around 11Am and use ending around 5:30pm give or take a little bit depending on location._

_Itai means 'ouch' and so just communicates that whatever was painful. You may run into it like this: Itai-tai-tai and that is just like 'owie owie owie' and is more like a whine and I use it often. _

_Did you know that the western futon is actually an Americanized version of the Japanese futon? The Japanese futon is very comfortable in my opinion; I slept on one the whole year I was in Japan._

_Kotatsu are the best. Enough Said. They have a small heater under the table and my god. I love them. The best. I want one for my home. Like now. Scratch that, like yesterday!_

_Oh the shoes- That was inspired by a mistake a friend watched happen that resulted in the offender getting the stink eye for the rest of the night during dinner with their boss. The apartment is modeled after a friend of mine's currently teaching English in Japan and it is actually one the nicer/larger end of things_

_Any questions , comments or suggestions- you know how to reach me._

_6/27/2015: Ahh yeah. Revisions made. Carry on. *points to next chapter*_


	6. To the market (chap 5 revised)

_Hoodiefiend, I'm happy you are enjoying the mix of realism and educational bits with the story. Even happier to hear that you seem to find it well written._

_I write for myself as it allows me to escape into another world. I base my work in Japan as at this point I cannot return to Japan, though I dearly wish to as a way to keep my cultural habits and mannerisms fresh. Sometimes I'm shy about posting as sometimes I have to tweak things or ignore some things as I do know for it to make sense I have to explain these things that are foreign to many westerners and I don't want to overwhelm the story with lessons. Hearing that I have kept a good balance helps me to keep motivated to type this out rather than just keeping it in my daydreams._

_6/27/15: Hi! o/ Goodness, revision time again! Much of the first 13 chapters is pre-story and all about you guys getting to know Sara and Michelle, building relationships and setting the groundwork for what is to come. In time this story will move past some of the fluff and I won't have a place to highlight cultural notes. This mainly happens as we move out of what could largely be based in 'the real world' setting. I'm actually really enjoying revising the story, it's a great refresher for me as I started this almost a year ago. _

* * *

A gentle voice returned Michelle's apology and offered to help her up. A man's hand reached into her field of vision. The gesture surprised Michelle however she gladly accepted. Once on her feet she looked at the man for the first time.

Red. That was the most striking feature. Flowing red hair. Second to hit here was his eyes, the color of emeralds that would rival her forest green eyes. The man was, in a word: breathtaking. While his features are more feminine, she was still captivated. Once she is on her feet, he kneels down to collect her items and place them back into the bag.

"Oh, thank you." Michelle stammers a bit. "You don't have to," she comments, kneeling down to help. "I'm the one that ran into you." Her words are a bit hesitant. Though she speaks Japanese fairly well, she has not had much real world practice. Their hands brush over an apple and she pulls her hand back quickly. His only pauses for a moment before placing the last apple in the bag, ignoring the slight blush on the girl's pale features.

"Nihongo ga ii desu." He comments, holding her bag. She blushes again, ever so slightly and informs him as is proper in the Japanese culture that no, her Japanese really isn't that good at all. She really just wants to escape. The embarrassment of crashing into this man is too much to deal with on an already overwhelming day.

Her mind keeps focusing on the red color of his hair. She thinks that this may be the man that helped her on the train. She can't be certain and would rather die than ask the question. He gives her a small smile, seeing her embarrassment. Michelle keeps her eyes on her feet. She really just wishes the young man would give her the bag back and allow her to go on her way. Much to her dismay, that is not what happens.

"Do you live nearby?" He asks. Michelle nodes shyly, not vocalizing her answer. She was hoping to avoid much human contact today and adjust slowly. Being thrown into a culture where you are expected to be so meek and humble threw her off her bearings and made her feel very insecure about herself. While she wasn't a spitfire by American standards, she could have a sharp tongue.

"Allow me to escort you home," he offers, "I'll carry your bag for you, it is starting to rip and would hate for it to rip open while you walked."

"No! No, its fine, really." Michelle tried to turn down the kindness. Culture would have demanded it even if she wasn't trying to escape the embarrassing situation.

"Nonsense" He wouldn't take 'no' for an answer and Michelle had to admit, the bag was heavy and in danger of ripping. He began walking in what he assumed was the direction of her home, judging from the angle she ran into him.

With a sigh she starts walking. He stays by her side. For a while they walk in silence and Michelle steals glances at him. He has delicate features but is none the less handsome. When he catches her in a glance he offers a smile. She is quick to apologize. Goodness, he must just be 18 yet she has to admit he has a much more mature air about him.

"You're new here?" He asks after catching her eyes a third time. The second she ran into him, he knew she was the same woman from the train. Seeing her again surprised him.

"Yeah, I actually just landed yesterday." She watches her feet as she walks. "I'll be teaching English at a few schools near here." With a sigh she pushes her head and eyes up to watch where she is actually going. She refuses to let some 18 year old boy make her act like a shy school girl, even if he was attractive.

"What schools?" he asks as they draw near an apartment complex and she gives him a short list, consisting of three schools.

"Why, you go to the high school?" Michelle asks, feeling comfortable with him she pokes his arm before she can catch herself. "Sorry!"

"I graduated in the spring," he laughs, seemingly not minding her friendly action "two of my friends attend the high school."

"It's all the way up; I can take the bag from here." Michelle points at the top floor as they near the stairs. Her attempt to claim her bag was ignored. He didn't even offer her a response, just started right up the stairs.

He finally allows her to take her bag once she showed him up to her door. Now that she was free to escape, Michelle was hesitant.

"Thank you…" she trails off, not knowing his name.

"Minomino, Shuuichi." He offers, bowing deeply to her. Mentally she cursed, it would be expected that she would bow deeper than him, having been on the receiving end of his kindness. It would prove challenging without spilling the food all over the ground.

"I'm Michelle." She responds, bowing as deeply as she can manage.

"I've enjoyed your company today. I hope to have the chance to enjoy it again. Until then, I suggest the female only car on the train." He offers as he turns and walks away, looking back he finishes with a smile. Michelle's face heats to a bright red as he answers the question she never got the nerve to ask.

Shuuichi chuckled to himself as he made his way down the stairs. She was an entertaining woman, he had to admit. Having never had close dealings with a foreign human, she grabbed his attention. She wouldn't fit in, yet she seemed to try to act Japanese, or as the Japanese would expect of a woman. Her facial expressions all had been more animated. He truly enjoyed the look on her face at his parting comment. Yes, some excitement was needed to help him get through his dull life.

Standing there dumbly, the door opens behind Michelle and Sara grabs her by the arm and drags the girl inside shutting the door behind her. The bag is quickly confiscated. She is quick to heat up what looks to be a harmless plate of meatloaf and veggies. Only the first bite will tell if the Japanese TV dinner version is in any way recognizable in taste or texture. They sat on the cushions on the floor and ate at the low table. They did not need to turn the heat on, though it is fall the warm sun is keeping the chill at bay for now.

"So, who did you walk home with?" Sara asks, her eyes shining. Sara is ever the gossip and romantic and surely hoping that her friend has already found love in this land so far from home. Michelle can just imagine the things running through Sara's head. In no way would Michelle tell her that she was talking with a man who rescued her on the train and then came to her aid again after she ran into him. Sara would take that and spin it into a whole new piece of cloth.

"Just a kind young man who helped me with the bag." Michelle played it down, making a point to call him young. She is hoping to insinuate that the man is too young for her, not that she would be interested anyway. In all reality, he probably was. He said he was just out of high school. Yes, too young, Michelle nodded to herself.

After they finished their meal they turned on the TV. They flipped through the channels. Michelle always heard that most Japanese TV was mind numbing and worthless but my goodness. Shows about pranks, food, and talk shows flipped past. Sara stopped when something caught her eye. The poor women looked so confused that Michelle couldn't help be laugh.

A clip filled the screen. An oddly dressed man in tight black leather was shown moving his hips in a rather provocative way in the direction of some rather good looking men who had been passing by. He was spewing some nonsense that Michelle really didn't want to understand. She knows who this man is, though she wished she didn't.

The screen cut back to a cute young lady who was interviewing said man. He talks on about his love for men and continues his nonsense before they cut to a commercial break. Sara's eyes are wide as a pink background with hearts covers the screen. Again the strange man is presented making his lewd hip movements only in this advertisement he is talking about some candy.

Michelle grabs the remote and turns it off, laughing during this whole episode. She is relaxed now. More so then she has been for the whole trip from Seattle. She is in her home, with her friend and right now, it doesn't matter if she doesn't bow deep enough or if she isn't polite enough or humble enough. No one is around who she could offend. No one that would care is around.

"What did I just watch?" Sara asks. Her words are clipped, spoken in a low voice and slowly, each word drawn out from her horror. This causes Michelle to laugh even more. It really isn't that funny and Michelle knows this. In a way, it is a stress reaction and her body has taken over and is now burning off that extra stress.

"Hard Gay" is all she can manage to get out. She laughs harder as her friend she looks at her. Sara's gaze moves back to the blank TV and to Michelle again, who is wiping tears from her eyes. This continues for a few minutes as Michelle collects herself.

"What on earth?" Sara asks again.

"He was a comedian. He's not actually gay." she spits out between giggles. Sara just looks at her still confused and slightly traumatized. Michelle just laughs a little more and pats her friend's head. "Welcome to Japan." She states and collects the empty cardboard containers and tosses them into the trash. She then washes their chopsticks quickly.

And so their afternoon passes quickly into night. Michelle teaches Sara a few key phrases that she will need to know and they joke and laugh. Sara can get on Michelle's nerves at times and takes energy to keep up with but the girls balance each other out. Michelle always keeps track of the rules and keeps them from trouble while Sara makes sure that they have their fair share of fun.

Midnight rolls around and they retire to their rooms. Michelle isn't really tired but she knows if she is going have her bodies internal clock adjust to the new day and night, she would have to try and force herself to sleep. As she lays in her futon her mind wonders.

At first it is just to simple things like how the futon is surprisingly comfortable and how though she is in a city, it is surprisingly quite. Soon she is thinking of that man. Suuichi Minamino, he said his name was. He has peaked her curiosity. Minamino is a name she knows, only vaguely. Thinking back she remembers a history lesson, given in one of her Japanese professors tangents about the name. She remembers him saying that it was only allowed to be used by few families of importance, though Michelle doesn't remember the details.

Few families take a new surname and Michelle doubts that this young man would have been important enough to be granted that name, assuming her memory is correct. No, he mind drifts. His father maybe? Or more than likely a grandfather or great grandfather would have had to be important enough to be granted this name. Her mind sinks further down, down into darkness. Her last thought is of roses.

* * *

_I'm not sure about the history of the Minamino name and I don't believe any real information was granted about Kurama's human family other than his mother and step family. About all I remember is the vague mention from a teacher in passing but considering, wouldn't it be an interesting thing to ponder? Kurama being a powerful demon being born to a human family that has an important history. Fitting in a way._

_Side note: Hard gay is terrible. Hurts my mind. But I couldn't think of something that would sum up about 75% of what I have seen on Japanese TV- though he is a little out dated now._

_Japanese Breakdown: Nihongo is Japanese referring to language. Nihon is actually the country of Japan and adding 'go' at the end turns it into that country's language. Most languages work like that. Supainu= spain supainugo = spanish language. Neat huh? Anyway ii means good. Desu is the verb for 'is' and further goes on to be expanded to be a verb of existence but to make that make sense would take too long. Anyway, ga is grammar that marks the subject of the statement as Japanese language uses spoken grammar. So directly he stated "Japanese language is good" That he is speaking of her Japanese is implied. Implied topics are common in the language and drove me batty until I adjusted- Now I forget to use the topic in English and confuse people!_

_6/28/15: Annd another one down the drain! I added a good chunk of dialog to this one. For anyone who does not know, when bowing in Japanese culture it is important that the 'lower' person bow deeper. The culture requiring one to be humble can trigger odd interactions, such as two old women bowing and walking backward repeatedly until they are out of sight of each other as each wanted to bow deeper than the other (I actually saw that happen, I nearly died laughing. I got weird looks…)._


	7. First day of school (Part 1) (chapt 6)

_Zoey24: I'm so happy to hear you are enjoying the story. I really wasn't sure how this story would be received with the somewhat harsh realities that come with being a Gaijin. I can tell you, everyone will be involved at different points. Some more than others. The reality of the story will be hard to keep up as the demonic aspects come into play but I strive to keep it balanced. I'm also glad you enjoyed the second meeting of Kurama and Michelle- it was a gift to a friend currently in Japan as that is how she met her soon to be husband._

_Hakudoushi-9 and last chapter's guest reviewer- I'm glad you are enjoying the story._

_6/28/15: The revision train again! Toot Toot!_

* * *

The rest of the week passed slowly and strangely fast at the same time. It is funny how that can happen. The girls spend their time shopping for food and learning their way around their general location. They find the best ways to get to and from their assigned schools. Overall they just spend their time adjusting to their new way of life.

Sara has Michelle drill her at times on proper manners and actions that she will need. Sara has managed to tone down her personality ever so slightly and though she often forgets and draws attention to herself she is managing to find her place. She will still have a hard time as she will often still be too loud or too forward.

Michelle works on finding her balance between the reserved personality that she can slip on fairly easily and the more open and out spoken personality she had spent years trying to adopt. She in the past had few friends due to being soft spoken. It is not that she was a loner, she just always got caught up observing and would forget to participate and join in. Her friendship with Sara has been her greatest aid in her coming out of her shell, mostly due to having to speak up and save Sara from herself.

Friday comes and the girls make their trips to their schools to meet the staff and learn their way around. Sara and Michelle are paired together at the same elementary school in the morning. It was a change in Sara's assignment that was passed down Thursday afternoon. Sara had been very excited about this change. Michelle had to admit that it would be nice to have a friend at one of the schools.

The principal shows them around the Elementary school. The school itself is two stories tall and very large by American standards. Overall it has a very airy and open feel to it due to all the windows. They are shown each what rooms they will be teaching in. Each has two morning classes, one with younger children and one with slightly older children. They are next shown the staff room.

It is a small room crammed full of desks, some piled high with papers and others kept almost painfully clean. Some teachers are working hard at their desk, other desks sit empty. A blonde girl sits at a desk, working away preparing lesson plans for the upcoming first week of school. Her complexion and blonde hair give her away as a fellow Gaijin and Michelle knew she was likely to meet in her employment. The girl works hard while the principal shows the two new comers their desks, to the left of the veteran. They are left to spend as long as they wish to get to know each other and their area.

They learn that their coworker's name is Robin and that she has been in Japan for three years now, through a rival teaching program. She is engaged to be married to a Japanese man and has no desire to return to the United States. She is a very optimistic person with a slightly motherly personality. A friend such as her would be comforting in such a faraway land. Soon the girls split up, agreeing to meet for lunch later.

Michelle makes the short trip to her assigned high school while Sara went to do the same in a different direction. Soon Michelle is standing in front of a massive building. It had a large clock tower and has the feel of an institution. This was an average school, nothing special really. Students will study long and hard, often attending cram school in the evening to get into the best schools. This is not one of them. This is the school that the kids that don't make the cut for their desired school or schools.

Students mill about, probably participating in club activities. Much like the first school, the building has many windows. The walls between classroom and hallway had windows as well. It allowed the natural light to reach much more of the building.

Michelle is shown her classes again and is led to the staff room. Her desk is again in the back of the packed room. The teacher's here seem busy and stressed. A man in a dark blue suit walks up to her and introduces himself as the English teacher she will be assisting. He goes on to tell her to fully expect to teach the class on her own as he has more important classes that demand his full attention. Michelle dislikes the man instantly.

Michelle heaves a sigh as he walks away. She expected it. Her program provides assistant English Teachers as it is believed by many in Japan that a native speaker can teach the language best. A actual teacher is responsible for the class. However, many ALTs (assistant language teachers) find themselves in a one man show as the teachers often teach more than one subject. She hopes the teacher she works under in the elementary school is better but knows she should be prepared for the worst.

Michelle and Sara meet for a quite lunch in a small cafe in the city where they compare notes. Shortly they are joined by Robin who is escaping the school for a lunch break. The blonde is eager to have fellow Americans around and offers much advice. For all three years of her stay she has worked in the same schools. She is quick to confirm Michelle's assumption that they would be largely on their own in their teaching. It seems that the actual teachers are quick to offer help in translation when needed.

Soon Robin is running down the street and is off back to work. Being a returning teacher, she started her work for the year a few days earlier in order to help set the school up. If Michelle and Sara renew their contracts in a year's time, they would likely be doing much of the same things as would be expected of them.

After lunch the girls go shopping for their Elementary school classes. Though Michelle is sure they will enjoy all of their classes, she knows that the younger kids will give a special type of enjoyment that can only come from watching the youngest of kids understand a new language. High school is a much stricter environment, limiting some of the activities she could use while teaching.

Soon they find themselves looking at painted foam fruits and vegetables in a craft store. They plan to use them as props for a fun vocabulary building game. Soon their props have expanded to include shapes, colors and some textures as well. Their giggles fill the store as they plot and plan the possibilities. Unbeknownst the them, a green eyed redhead passes by the end of the aisle and his eyes are drawn to them.

It is a family trip, one of few for some painting supplies for his mother. The middle aged gentleman comments to the young men offhandedly that it is disgraceful to draw so much attention to oneself. The redhead's mother quietly tells the man to hush. She reminds him that the girls are doing business at the store and not doing anything negative. Kurama smiles to himself at his mother's gentle reminder to be kind as the gaijin round the corner with their baskets of seemingly random items.

The girls pay for their items and head home to prepare lesson plans. Kurama is left to trail his family as his mind wonders to the gaijin girls. They brought unique warmth to the store. That's not to say that the Japanese girls didn't giggle or have fun but the gaijin didn't care about keeping appearances, not drawing any attention to themselves or being cute enough. For Kurama, it was a breath of fresh air in a somewhat stifling culture to see two young women simply having fun.

He had to admit that it was nice to see a bit of this side of Michelle, compared to when he had walked her home and she maintained an imitation of what was expected of a young woman in Japan. It seems he was having trouble keeping that girl off his mind. That night, he is dreams are haunted by green eyes that are deeper in color than his own

The weekend passes quickly. The girls plan various lessons and games for their classes. They look up basic children's songs that they could teach the kids. Every minute of the weekend was enjoyed. Michelle thrived on the easy going atmosphere. The apartment is their retreat and their shelter, giving them somewhere where they can be truly themselves while they try to adjust to the new culture without completely loosing themselves.

Monday comes quickly. The girls get up and eat their breakfast, drink their coffee and dress for the day. Michelle pulls her hair back into a low bun that rests against the base of her neck. Her side swept bangs flair out a bit to left. When the bright sun hits it just right, her red bangs look like a flame leaping out of her hair. Her green eyes are matched by her forest green long sleeve shirt. The high V neck keeps her from feeling like she is being strangled without being revealing. A black knee length skirt is matched with a black suit jacket and simple black flats.

Sara takes a bit longer to get ready. Her chocolate hair is pulled into a high ponytail. Under her gray sweater her blue shirt peeks out. She wears matching gray slacks and blue flats. Her outfit is conservative and yet her bright personality shines through in her eyes as well as her smile. They are eager for the day ahead of them.

Michelle walks into her first class two hours later with the English teacher at her side. The young kids all stand and greet the adults. This class is of first graders, the youngest of her students. The teacher greats the children and introduces himself then motions Michelle forward to do the same. The kids great her with slightly sloppy 'hello' in English. These kids are young however many of them know some very basic English. Soon, they are singing the ABC song as Michelle points at the letters she has written on the black board. At times she stops and works with the group on the pronunciation when she notices the group having consistent trouble with a letter.

The class ends and kids say a 'good bye' to the teachers as a group. The teacher's return the gesture themselves and head off to their next room. In Japanese schools, it is the teachers that change rooms with each class, not the students. The next group is a few years older. Greetings are exchanged and the teachers again introduce themselves.

Michelle has this class review the alphabet though this time she has the group do a mixture of singing the same song and naming a random letter she points at. Latter she has the kids write the letter she calls out. After everyone has written it down, she writes it on the board. It is still early and she doesn't want to have to grade paperwork from the first day so she gives none of her morning students actual assignments that will be graded, only encourages them to practice.

After this class the students are dismissed to lunch. Michelle meets Sara and Robin in the staff room to compare their mornings. Robin surprises them with packed lunches for them. Traditional bento style lunches though they are not homemade; rather they had been bought from a store. Still, the thought of the action was not lost on the girls who had planned on grabbing something on their way to their next school. Together they ate and talked, Robin wanting to know everything about their morning. Robin also passed on a few ideas as to activities for the young kids.

Robin's whole day is spent at this one school so as lunch ends; she must head off to class. Michelle and Sara split up and head off to high school. Michelle is somewhat nervous about it, she will be teaching third year students in a lower end school. Their English could be very good however, it was more likely that it is desperately lacking in vocabulary and actual speaking skills.

On her way through the gates she passes the red headed Shuuichi. He had brought his step brother his forgotten lunch and visited with a few of his friends who are just starting their last year in school. He was surprised to see the red headed gaijin girl walking into the school. He seems to be running into her at every turn this last week. As he passes her, he offers her a smile. Though he would love to stop and chat, he has matters to attend to in Spirit World. It seems he would have to settle for the slight smile the gaijin girl returns. Cook, Michelle, he remembers her name was.

* * *

_I really enjoyed bento from the stores while in Japan, but you had to know the right ones to get. Some just tasted bad. I feel bad that it is taking so long to get everyone involved in the story. I swear, most everyone will be in the next chapter. I hope no one minds the slower pace of the story. This will be a longer story as I do want you guys to love Michelle and Sara as much as I do. Any love Robin gets is just bones points! I'm hoping to have another chapter out before the end of the week but I will be out of town for the weekend. Have the chapter's been long enough? Would you prefer the chapters be longer but more spaced out or shorter and more often? Or is the size I have going working for everyone?_

_6/28/2015: Yeah, just minor changes. Onward to the next chapter! *points*_


	8. First day of school (Part 2) (chap 7)

_So far I have one vote for often updates at the cost of some length to the chapters. Though to be honest, I think the 1,800-2,000 word average feels pretty good to me. I love feedback though on length and the story itself but don't worry, I won't hold the story hostage. However, my boyfriend is ending his night shift tonight and I don't normally get to write much when he is around. Guess I'll just see what happens._

_6/28/2015: Here we go- it has been revised…_

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Michelle wasn't all that excited for her high school class. She had a sinking feeling that the teacher she is to be assisting is not going to be much help. With a deep breath she enters the class room, teacher nowhere in sight. If she wants her full paycheck, it has to be done. She only has enough savings to carry her comfortably until payday at the end of the month anyway so she needed every yen. Can't miss out and drop a class.

The classroom was unruly. A paper airplane soared past her head. A young Burnett girl seemed to be trying to restore some order as a boy who Michelle can only guess is the class clown, is the center of the action. As teenagers in general are prone to do, other students got in on the action who probably otherwise would not have. For a moment, Michelle remembers why she dislikes teenagers in vivid detail and it makes her feel old.

She makes her way up to the podium style standing desk. She moves quickly and quietly, not drawing any attention to herself. The desperate student does notice Michelle's entrance and sits down, picture of a proper student. Michelle stands mostly unnoticed at the desk. A few students notice her and take their seats but the boys in the center of the class go on unaware.

One clown is fairly typical in appearance. He wears a green uniform rather than the blue of the school and keeps his hair slicked back. The other boy was freakishly tall boy with a squared face and orange hair. Michelle can see that waiting wasn't going to work. She would have to break the boys out of their own world. In a bold move she slams he binder against the podium. The sound seemed to echo in the room. All eyes went to her instantly, even those of the two trouble makers. It was an unexpectedly forward move and slightly aggressive.

"Suwarimasu." She orders, glaring at the boys. She was not pleased, to say the least. Actually, she was rather annoyed, and while the state of the class was an annoyance much of her frustration came from being left largely on her own to teach. It was expected however, not what she signed up for. The class clowns now would receive a dose of her frustration as the actual teacher is still nowhere in sight.

The boys follow her order, somewhat shocked at her actions combined with the sharp command to sit down. She did not say "please" as would have been expected of her or as really she should have, culture demanded it. But she was in no mood and the harshness would be forgiven- she is gaijin after all and thus is expected to be clueless to the cultural norms.

Standing tall and confident, she introduces herself to the class. The young man with the slicked back hair and wrong uniform looked bored. Michelle can't fathom how he gets away with wearing the wrong uniform but assumes that with this student the uniform color is probably the least of her worries.

She requests for the students to tell her about their school and class in English to the best of their abilities, making sure to let them know that it is just so she can gauge their skills with the language as she is just meeting them. Some are better than others. The girl that had tried to bring the class to order seemed be one of the best. Michelle was surprised to hear the orange haired boy produce some basic English, much better than she expected out of him.

Her fears though couldn't prepare her for the other boy. He seemed to be greatly lacking in vocabulary. As he gets frustrated he forgets sentence structure as he settles for telling Michelle that the room has one door and four windows. Grade A stuff. Though he uses English words they are in the word order that would be used in Japanese language causing him to sound very similar to Yoda. He tries a second time and corrects his mistake. Vocabulary seems to be his weakest point though the whole class needed to expand their vocabulary.

Michelle smiles at the boy who she fears will be her greatest headache. She tells him that he did very well and for a second, he looks caught off guard by the praise, fully aware of the poor job he had done. It's not hard for Michelle to imagine that he doesn't get much praise in his schooling.

His first attempt at English reminds her of a joke her class had while she was studying Japanese. After studying hard they would find themselves messing up their English even though they are native speakers. When ever someone was caught butchering their English someone would ask them if "English speak well do?" It was a bit of an inside joke for the students, speaking the English words in the Japanese word order.

After thinking for moment, Michelle announces to the class that she will conduct most of the class in English and that in two months' time she will only conduct the class in English. They go over basic vocabulary that they will need to survive her decision. Some students looked excited about her choice. Others however, looked rather like she pronounced their death. As the class wrapped up she allows them some independent practice. She makes her way to the boy's desk and panics for a second fearing that she forgot his name when they had just done introductions ten minutes ago, in English even!

"Urameshi. " Thank god, it came to her before she made it to his desk. He looks up at her, annoyed though she isn't sure if it's from the girl, Keiko. Michelle forgot the girl's surname. Keiko was lecturing him about studying and attendance. Michelle was glad she wasn't in the boy's shoes, it was a very stern lecture.

"What?" he asks, slightly sharply in Japanese. Michelle just smiles and continues. She tells him that she thinks he can catch up with his English. He is slightly shocked when she extends an offer to give extra lessons. Seeing as Keiko and Kuwabara are nearby she opens the offer to them as well, hoping that if they decide to bite than he will to. She doesn't wait for an answer as the class ends and she leaves the room. Behind her she hears him comment something along the lines of 'why would I study when not at school'. Only time will tell.

The week passes much the same way as Monday did. Michelle didn't see the redhead again, though she was far too busy to notice anyway. The girls planned classes. Lunch with Robin seemed to become a regular thing. Michelle hardly sees the actual English teacher for her high school class. Sara is lucky enough to have a very helpful teacher she is aiding. They seem to be falling into somewhat of a routine and the end of the school day on Friday comes about quickly.

Sara is invited over to a Japanese coworker's home for dinner. Michelle gives her a quick refresher on any manners she would need and instructs her to get a gift for the home or family. Fruit is often chosen and so the girls head off to the market for a quick trip before Sara heads to dinner. Mellon in hand, the girl dashes off and Michelle is left alone on the street.

She walks around for a half an hour trying to find somewhere basic to grab dinner at. For whatever reason, it seems nothing easy to order exists around this area. Would it be too much to ask for a simple noodle shop? Apparently. With a sigh she turns around sharply and walks into a hard body. It felt like walking into a brick wall. This confused Michelle as she could swear the street was nearly empty and nobody was near her.

Before she has a chance to fall to the ground or apologize, an arm snakes around her waist and pulls her against him. He was tall and well built. Though the sun was nearly setting behind him, the man was wearing sunglasses. His face was littered with scars and his black hair fell over the glasses. Through the tinted lenses Michelle could just make out his eyes and the look in them turned her body to ice.

As she struggled against him to get free, the man lets out a throaty groan. He starts dragging her into the dark alley where a car is waiting. When she goes to scream he clamps his hand over her mouth. She tries to bite him but his large hand focuses pressure on the joints of her jaw, making it impossible to close her mouth. Tears burn at her eyes however she refuses to let them fall. Behind them, in the ally, someone makes themselves known.

"Tsk, Tsk, Tsk." The man holding Michelle turns to face the voice. In his surprise, he loosens the grip on her jaw and she bites down hard. As the bleeding hand is yanked from her face she gasps a breath.

"Urameshi, run! Get help!" She yells. The punk kid was a stick compared to the man who grabbed her.

"Not likely" He responds. "It's not good karma to attack gaijin teachers, dumbass." he stares at the man, showing no signs of being intimidated by the size of the brute.

The brute pulls a knife and points it at Michelle's throat. Japan is known for being fairly safe but Michelle was never a fool and knew violent crime happens everywhere. She never expected it to be happening to her or that she would be putting one of her students at risk.

"Leave." His gruff voice orders as he pushes the knife harder against her throat. She can feel the dull blade and knows that it is sharp enough to get the job done but that the wound would be very painful. "Or I'll kill her." He continues to order. Michelle thinks of Sara and how upset she will be. With the blade she doesn't dare to struggle any longer and settles on glaring daggers at her student.

While she expected Urameshi to be trouble, insisting on trying to rescue her was not in a way she anticipated.

"Her death won't be necessary." A smooth voice from behind states calmly, as if commenting on the weather. As the man moves to turn his arm with the knife is ripped from Michelle's throat and forced behind his back. Michelle is shocked by the suddenness of it all. It seemed to happen with supper human speed. Soon the man is screaming in pain as a sickening pop echoes around them.

Michelle falls to the ground seconds before the man, the adrenalin in her system has turned her knees to jelly. The man's arm is useless at his side. Shuiichi gives a kick to his head, connecting with a sickening thud. The man goes limp but continues to breath. Michelle watches wide eyed as a small green imp like creature crawls from the man's chest.

Her student is now by the Shuiichi's side pointing at the creature as if his hand was a gun. Michelle is sure she is seeing things from the traumatic experience as the boy's finger starts the glow. As the bullet like blast is released the imp becomes no more. The world goes black as Michelle's body hits the ground, the events being too much for her to handle.

"How many of them are we dealing with?" Yusuke asks.

"We are not sure of that at this point." Kurama doesn't look at the boy as he picks up the body of the gaijin. She is limp in his arms. Out cold. "We don't know their goals or who behind their actions at this point."

"So…" Urameshi's voice trails "to Genkai's with her then?" He tilts his head to the limp body of his new English teacher.

"No, I am aware of where her home is." Kurama glances down at the sleeping form. He would take her there and talk his way into watching over her.

They need to know how much she had seen. There was also the matter of her neck wound. The knife had nicked her when he pulled it away and she was bleeding. If Kurama hadn't have acted when he did however, the possessed man would have inadvertently cut her throat much worse. He took back ways to her home, not wanting to draw attention to himself.

The door to her apartment was locked; however he had no trouble changing that when no one answered his knocks. The lights where off but plenty of light came in through the sliding door allowing him to see his way. He could tell she had a roommate, two scents where everywhere. It takes him no time to locate Michelle's room. Her sent is strongest in this room and the unknown roommate's scent is nearly free from the space.

For once, he was disappointed in seeing a Gaijin who cares well for the futon. It is sitting in the corner, folded neatly. Kurama sets the girl on the ground gently and makes up her bed before placing her in it and covering her. The bleeding had stopped. He had to search a bit for a rag to wet with warm water. Softly he dabbed at her skin, cleaning away the blood. He settles for taping a bandage over the wound for now, not wanting to sit her up and risk reopening the wound.

Leaning against the wall he sits and waits. He listens to her breathing and for any signs of her roommate coming up the stairs. He watches her chest rise and fall. She was a beauty in her own right, he had to admit that.

* * *

_I know that Yusuke didn't go to his final year of High School but I'm taking some liberty with the timeline. I hope you guys enjoyed._

_6/28/15: Yeah… No real changes. Just some spelling corrections mainly. Yeah. I'll say it again, I know Yusuke did not go to high school. High school is not mandatory in Japan. However, for the sake of my story I have upped their ages and tweaked that minor detail. Onward to the next chapter! *points*_


	9. The mind is weak (chap 8)

_Oh my goodness, reviews are everywhere! Hakudoushi-9 gets the cookie for being crazy on top of it and catching my posting the same chapter twice so it could get fixed within minutes of the mistake. Oh and thanks for pointing out the women/woman mistake a few chapters back- I haven't gotten around to fixing it as I need to do so at a time when my brain isn't muddled up with Japanese as they don't have singular or plural forms of words- it's all context and so thinking like that makes it supper hard for me to catch it sometimes._

_Zoey24: I'm so happy you took the time to write me such a long review. :) I'm so happy you are enjoying my writing. I was really expecting people to be upset that I wasn't jumping right to the chase and spent chapters on my girls without a single one of the gang but it seems to have been well received. You liking Robin is bonus for me- she is modeled after the ALT that was teaching my class when I studied in Japan. As for the lessons, manga and anime don't show a lot of things or explain things because 99% if the time their target audience is Japanese and already know._

_And my two guest reviews: I fully know that the Urameshi didn't make it to high school. As high schoolers do have to pay tuition, I doubt his mother would have been able to afford even the worst school and his grades, assuming he even passed middle school, wouldn't have been good enough to get any aid. Sucks but I always see the boys as older._

_And no, really people don't faint like that. In my experience in working in medical offices 99% of the time when you faint or otherwise pass out, it is only for a few short moments. Longer is normally the results of a head injury and is actually very concerning. But it makes a great plot device and so you see it in writings everywhere. My goodness, this got to be a long note! _

_6/28/2015: And I'm not going to say much, ^ that's long enough already! Oi, it has been revised!_

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It didn't take much time at all for Michele to wake. Kurama had been focused on the setting sun when it happened. All of a sudden, Michele's eyes opened wide and she sat straight up. Sharply she took in a breath as her hands, ever so small and frail looking went to clutch her head. It took but only a moment for the pain in her neck to register. When it did, her dominant hand went to her throat to find it bandaged. Her eyes wondered the room, wide and full of a mix of confusion and fear.

Her eyes settled on the redhead. Gasping again she scoots back away from him. Her head hurt. Her throat hurt. She was confused and scared. Thoughts rushed through her mind, one taking the place of another before she even had a chance to fully grasp the concepts. What happened? Why was he here? What was that thing? That light? Did the man die? Is she safe? Where is Sara? Did she die too? Was the man that grabbed her bad? Was her student bad? Was the man in front of her bad? Did he bring her here? How did he know where she lived?

Her head spin with the questions. She could feel her heartbeat racing in her chest. She was aware that her breathing had become more like a pant. Panic slowly eats at her. Michelle has been here before. Not in this room, not in this country but she has been here, facing off with the beast that panic could become. She didn't want to feel this way. She didn't want to be scared. She wanted to run.

Years of therapy however, taught her that she must not run. She was scared of all that she didn't know. As her back hits the wall she sees the man moving to come to her side. Holding up her hand she shakes her head 'no' and forces herself to take a deeper breath. Her body shook as it fought to continue down the path that would lead to a panic attack if she allowed it.

She started the chore of putting the pieces together. She forced deep breaths and faced the unknown. In forcing herself to focus on remembering what happened, she faced the panic and thus she was able to slowly defeat the ever present beast.

"My name is Michele. I am 23 years old." She starts, whispering under her breath in English. She is not talking for him to hear her, but rather for her to hear herself. She starts off with simple facts before she tackles the things she isn't sure of right away. "I am in Japan." Kurama watches her as her body's shaking slows to a stop, never having seen anyone head off a panic attack in such a way.

"I teach at two schools. I was going out to eat. A man grabbed me. He had a knife." She had to pause and breathe for a moment. She had to force her mind to work. "Urameshi was there. Shuiichi was there. You are Shuiichi. The two of you helped me." Another pause. Kurama moved a bit closer as he waited. "You pulled the knife away from me."

Kurama was surprised when she looked him in the eye. He needed to know how much she remembered, how much she saw. If she saw too much then actions had to be taken. It would have to be decided if she could and would be allowed to remember and know of the world beyond humans. A lot of that depended on her reaction to what she had seen if indeed she had seen anything at all before fainting.

"You brought me here, must have. You walked me home before. Sara must have left the door unlocked." She starts, before attempting to remember the rest of the ordeal. "Urameshi shot him." Her face shows the confusion. "He didn't have a gun, but it was a bright light. I remember something green..." She trails off, looking to Shuiichi to fill in the blanks as she forces herself to take some more deep breaths.

"It's okay, you are okay now." He starts in a soft and soothing voice. She didn't remember details and he was thankful for that, memories are easy enough to influence when they are still forming. "The light was from a stun gun." He states confidently, weaving his lie that would become her memories on the spot. "You just didn't notice it, you were distracted." She looks at him, completely accepting what he says as fact in her confused state. Any hint of doubt is slowly rubbed away by his hand on her shoulder.

He is the perfect picture of reassurance. Confident and sure of his words without in any way making her feel silly for what she was about to say. A monster? How silly of her to mistake a green shirt for a monster coming out of a man's chest. She places her hand on his and looks him in the eyes.

"Thank you," She starts softly. "I'm okay now. Thank you so much for all of your help."

"It was nothing at all" He tells her. She wonders for a moment if this is how he would actually respond if not that culture demanded it. No, he seems to be a truly kind hearted man. Before Michele wasn't even sure if he was 18 and thus an adult by appearance alone but she can see from how he handles himself that regardless of what his age may or may not be, he is indeed a man, not a boy. Boys in America could stand to learn a few things.

She tells him of how she needs to rest and thanks him again as she shows him out. Wouldn't do to have a guy over when Sara returns she would change it into god knows what. After shutting the door she leans against it. She can't help but have a feeling that something is off however Michelle assumes the feeling is just the leftover grip of panic.

With one last sigh she sets herself onto the task of taking care of her neck. It really isn't a bad wound at all, shallow. She knows she could have died this night. Since the bleeding has stopped, she settles for just wrapping a ribbon around her neck. Looking back at herself she smiles, she used to wear a ribbon in this way back in high school. It has been a long time. The rest of her night passes quietly as she waits for Sara to return.

Sara on the other hand enjoyed her dinner with her coworker's family. Akiko has a twin brother who seemed very interested in western way of life. He had offered to walk her home and she accepted. Akiko and Sara said their goodbyes, promising to chat at work. Off the two went, chatting all the way.

On the way they pass by a bar. Hikoku offers to buy Sara a drink and she accepts, not knowing well enough on how to navigate her way out of it in Japanese. Hikoku seems to know very little English. Soon an hour has passed and one drink became four. Sara's Japanese is failing her, but that's okay. Hikoku proves himself to be much better at English than she thought.

The bar is a little hole in the wall with a warm feeling. She likes it here. She likes it here with him. It would be pointless to deny her attraction to him if asked, she was going on drunk. Hikoku was tall by Japanese standards with sharp features and shaggy black hair. She eyes him, trying to be sly about it. Goodness, how his hair seems to fall into his eyes perfectly. Sara's night doesn't escalate too far and ends with a kiss at the door that left her wanting more. His hand slipped his number into hers. He walks off while she stands in a bit of a daze.

As Michele kills time with bad comedy and romance seems to blossom with Sara, things are a bit more serious with Kurama in the next ward over. A group of young adults have gathered to discuss things that no sane person would believe. Quite words speak of demon imps, possible motives and trying to discover who is behind things. These young adults are the protecting force for mankind and they work behind the scenes.

Unfortunately, at this point in time they know very little of the situation and are being forced to simply deal with the imps that possess humans as they come. They are painfully hard to spot at times. The imp's presence within the body simply convinces the mortal to do whatever they have always desired to do, to take whatever it is they have yearned for. In many cases they cannot be spotted until their actions escalate however at that point even with the imp removed the mortal's mind seems to risk being damaged beyond repair. Above all, the imps seem to be searching for something.

Kurama gives the group his report on the gaijin attacked. She would be fine, it seems. It appears she will remember nothing of the strangest parts of the incident. He informs Yusuke of the story he told her and of how his Spirit Gun is now a stun gun. The group is somewhat surprised but thankful that the women bought it. When questioned on how he pulled it off, Kurama simply informs them of how weak the human memory is to the power of suggestion and even more so during a time of stress.

The night ends with goodbyes that strain to hide the stress of the situation. Each wants to be sure that those important to them are protected from this latest evil. They also know that they can't let the stress of the situation wear them down. Life must go on. Classes must be attended, work must be done, everything must continue as if normal so as to not worry those around them.

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_This was a little shorter then I like but I really felt this was a good stopping point. We are looking at an update a week or so at this time due to my 'alone' time getting cut by a change in schedule. Nothing is set in store with this story so any suggestions are welcomed._

_6/28/15: Again, most minor changes. Next chapter is that way -_


	10. A uneventful week (chap 9)

_It has been a while. So sorry about that. A few errors have been brought to my attention and they will get corrected... at some point. On the 10th I start back at University. This may sound like a bad thing for the story but it is actually a good thing- I will be allowed more time at the computer without having to deal with crap. Thank you to all of my reviewers, you guys give me the warm fuzzies._

_6/28/15: Dude, this is like the 3rd one I have revised today. . _

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For Michelle the next week passed fairly normally, everything as it should be. Her neck healed in fairly quick time. As classes came and go however, she can't shake the nagging feeling that something is off. She doesn't run into Shuuichi and after the first few nights tries to put the red headed rescuer out of her mind. It works sometimes and she has a great feeling of gratitude to him. Other times however, she feels mistrustful of the thought of him- almost as if he had lied to her and she knew. At no point in her memory does she remember him telling her a lie, or at least him being caught in one, though she hasn't really had too much interaction with him.

Sara spends a lot of time out with some guy. Often the only time Michelle sees her is in the mornings before classes. Sara often asks for advice about this new man and proper actions. Michelle once joked that he was just chasing Sara for the exotic idea of being with an American girl. Sara didn't speak to her for the rest of the day- a mean feat considering how much Sara talks.

After that, Michelle knew Sara was falling fast and hard for this guy. That really wasn't any different than normal; Sara always falls fast and hard, though she has the same effect on men. Both tend to get bored after a few months and Sara moves on to her new "true love" or "soul mate".

Michelle marches into her high school class, holding a large box in her hands. She gives them a relatively informal greeting in Japanese and the return with echoes of "hi" and "hello". Most of her students can read and write decently so Michelle has decided to focus her class on Vocabulary and Conversational English. She takes a very informal approach to the class- when everyone behaves themselves, that is.

Takanashi sensei is never anywhere to be found when his English class is in session so Michelle has taken that as an all clear to do as she wishes. She moves around the room, placing a large array of cheap plastic foods in random locations while humming 'twinkle twinkle little star' to herself. It was stuck in her head from teaching it to her youngest students that morning.

"Etoo..." Keiko mumbles when a plastic bunch of purple grapes thumps lightly on her desk. "arigatou?"

Michelle just smiles at her and all the other confused teenagers in the room as she heads to the front of the class. She conducts most of her class in English, as she had promised to do on her first day. She enjoys forcing the students to actually vocally use their English however she always explains the lesson in both Japanese and English to be sure her students know what is expected of them.

Before she begins she eyes the empty desk by Keiko. That damned delinquent is out again today and has been every day this week. It saddens her as she sees a lot of herself in him. Maybe she will have to corner him and have a heart to heart. God, Michelle hated to have such talks. None the less, class must go on.

"Today we will build vocabulary relating to food items. We are going to talk about the items in this room, what they are, what colors they are, their textures, their flavors, if you like or dislike them and so on." Her eyes roam the room, making contact with each of her students. They are watching her closely. This is the type of lesson they enjoy, practical uses rather than reading classical books that most American students can't or don't want to read and comprehend. "I expect that if you don't know the word you wish to use, you will ask me or a classmate what it is, in English."

As her English directions finish and before she begins again in Japanese, she hears the class door open and turns. Speak of the devil and he shall come (or think of him at least). Yusuke walks into the room, slinks over to his desk and sits down. Michelle offers him a smile rather than the lecture that most teachers would give considering he both interrupted her class and missed over half the school day. He was moving a little slower than normal, perhaps like he was in pain. She wonders for a moment if he could be sick then settles that he probably is recovering from some street brawl.

After delivering her instructions again in Japanese she has her students talk to the class mates around themselves for a bit about items near them. Michelle moves over to the devil's desk and sits on the window seal.

"Yo." Yusuke says, eyeing her with dread. He is fully expecting a lecture but is confused by her posture, relaxed, comfortable and calm; not at all angry.

"Yo." she answers back. Keiko watches on, surprised to see what may be a calm exchange between Yusuke and a teacher. The two eye each other for a few moments before Michelle casually picks up the plastic apple she sat next to. "Listen closely, this is your one chance." She calmly states before looking up at the girl.

Keiko quickly tries to busy herself to make it appear as if she wasn't listening in. She knows she failed though. Busted.

"What is this?" Michelle asks the simple question fairly slowly in English while pointing at the apple. The girl answers correctly, confused. "Yoku dekimashita" Michelle brings her attention back to the boy who is glaring at her to mask his confusion. Again, she points to the apple. "What is this?"

"Ringo" He spits. While being technically correct, he knows that is not the language she wants his answer in. Michelle sighs; he uses the same tactic she used way back in high school. She will not be defeated.

"In English." She orders in English.

"Hell if I know." He retorts, in Japanese. He is giving himself away a little at a time without realizing it. She doubts that he even fully realizes how much he actually understands. She knows it is largely due to lack of confidence that resulted from a lack of practice as well as from teaches telling him he can't learn anything. Michelle knows the place he is currently in in his education all too well.

"Do it."

"No"

"Yes" This continues for a few minutes, getting louder as the two shout at each other. He is frustrated as he is sure he doesn't know the word and Michelle is frustrated because she wants him to try- to say something, even if it is wrong. She ignored that it was improper to shout at a student.

Finally he spits out, "Apple". The word is dripping with poison and he is sure it is wrong, just as sure as he is that he can't learn this stupid language. He should have listened to Keiko's answer a few minutes before. What he doesn't realize is he is just as sure about "apple" being the wrong word as Michelle's Japanese teacher was about her ability to learn Japanese back in her freshman year of high school. Both that teacher and Yusuke are wrong. Michelle learned Japanese and "apple" is the correct English word for the object in her hand.

Keiko's eyes are wide with surprise. Students are staring. Michelle is grinning from ear to ear. The room is quite.

"Are you happy? Look how stu-" Michelle's voice cut's off his indignant rant.

"Yoku dekimashita" She states. "Very good" she repeats, patting him on the back. His face is a picture of pure shock. He got it right. He hadn't even attended most of the classes where she went over this vocabulary but he got it right. Holy shit, he got it right.

The class passes time practicing. Yusuke participates though only in the small group. Anyone else daring to try to include him in their practice is given a glare. Soon enough the class is set free by the bell.

Michelle gathers her fake fruit as Keiko walks up to her. A few students linger behind talking while others set to work on cleaning the class room. Michelle will always be thankful that American high schools have staff to clean and that she didn't have to stay late occasionally to do the cleaning herself. She was forced to admit however that the required cleaning by students resulted in the classroom staying cleaner throughout the day. If they made a mess, they had to clean it up.

"We are getting pizza later with some friends." Keiko says, conversing in Japanese. She appears to be shy often times but is such a warm girl. Michelle bites back to urge to congratulate the girl as she knows Keiko is trying to lead up to something.

"Lucky you." Michelle offers, instead of her first smart ass remark and cringes for a moment. Her comment didn't come out much better than the first one that came to her mind. She smiles as she stands with her box, eager to get home but knowing she will probably be eating alone again tonight.

"Well, would you like to come? If you don't have other plans, I mean." The girl spits out. From the door, Yusuke shouts for her to hurry up or he will leave her behind.

Michelle agrees and they make arrangements for Keiko and Yusuke to pick Michelle up and walk with her so as she doesn't get lost. Michelle doesn't argue too much knowing that the young girl is offering a kindness. It appears after she gets home she will have to get ready to leave again.

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_Dude, I'm so sorry this took forever. I plan to pick back up with this again to at least provide regular updates. I'm going to shoot for once a week at least._

_6/28/2015: I don't think I ever returned to a once a week update. Oh well. You know, my Japanese teacher in freshman year of high school told me he would die of old age before I mastered basic Japanese. For the record- he's still alive :P If you want to learn something, learn it! Don't ever let someone tell you that you are too dumb or too far behind to learn something. Great joy exists in learning, I feel that the American school system just does a great job of beating that joy out of students early on. This concludes my public service announcement._

_(by the way, no real changes were made to this chapter!)_


	11. Dinner (chap 10)

_First, I am sorry for the long break. I had a few chapters written up and my hard drive decided it just didn't want to live any longer. RIP hard drive. After that loss I made some tweaks and had a hard time coming up with something that made me happy. The other half of the lateness is due to my getting sucked into an MMO..._

_Thank you for all the reviews. I'm not going to reply to specific ones because that would take too long. You have waited long enough. I would like to thank Aista for the reviews. They left mixed feelings to tell the truth. At first I hated them, they crushed me. I missed so many things, made so many mistakes and I was embarrassed to have them all pointed out to me. I got over it, and now would like to thank you as you have given me a very good guide to look at to find them. In time those errors will be fixed. It may be a fairly long time however._

_And that brings me to my last point. I need help. I am looking for a beta reader of sorts to work with me more as a partner. While I enjoy writing, I do not enjoy editing and frankly, as it was pointed out, I suck at it. I'm looking for someone who is willing to work with me on future chapters as well as revisions of past chapters. Knowledge of YYh and Japan not required. What is required is an enjoyment of my story and a willingness to work with my somewhat inconsistent writing speed. Please send me a message if you are interested. I do ask that you be over 18 however as at later points I do intend to deal with mature themes. This story will earn the M rating in due time._

_On that note, enjoy. This is long overdue._

_6/28/2015: Ahh this chapter. . Aista's review stung but made me push to be better. I hope I have done better. 3 for dumbat who stepped up to be my beta!_

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Michelle enters the apartment just as Sara is dashing out. Michelle catches something about doing dinner out tonight and being home late as brown hair flies out the door. The lucky women didn't have to help clean her classroom this week and so was home about 30 minutes earlier. Michelle kicks off her shoes, leaving them a mess in the entry- disgraceful, she scolds herself mentally then leaves them as they are. No one is going to see them after all and it is only for a short period.

Dinner with some students. She tells herself that it could be fun. For a moment, her mind wonders to the redhead again. Maybe he will be there; he was with Yusuke when she was attacked. Michelle pushes those thoughts aside. She is 23, he is on the older side of 19, just turned 20 if that and that means he is too young for her to care. It seems every time she thinks on his age, it goes up. She discards the thoughts of him along with her blouse.

She changes into simple boot cut jeans and a fairly form fitting black tee shirt. As she moves into the bathroom she frees her hair from the elastic that has kept it contained all day. Standing in front of the mirror she works her fingers through the braid, unraveling it as she eyes the face looking back at her. After turning on the water she washes her face. After drying she quickly applies a light cover of foundation. She then adds eye shadow to her eyes. A soft pearled pink is paired with a darker pink blended into the crease of her eyes to give them more depth. She adds a thin swipe of black eye liner and a shimmering clear gloss to her lips.

All in all, her look is subtle and natural. She doesn't look like an adult trying to be a teenager nor does she look like she is attempting to appear older than she is. She looks very much like herself, as anyone knowing her from America would remember her as. Heaving a sigh she looks at herself in the mirror. It is easy for her to assume that she is going to be the oldest person at dinner. Dinner with a bunch of teenagers would be a terrifying thought under normal circumstances back home but going out here, she can't really be sure what to expect.

Stories have been shared between ALTs of situations like this going great. Their local teenagers had all been very well mannered and it reminds some of hanging out with members of their own age group at home. Other stories, far less often, speak of horrors; teenagers thinking that because they are with a gaijin they may act as they please or how they think American teenagers would act. Michelle isn't sure if the kids act poorly to rebel a bit or to try and make the teacher feel more at home.

A soft knock at the door pulls her out of her thoughts. She hears voices fallowed by a louder bang of a fist on her door. She rolls her eyes, imagining the situation outside her door: Keiko timidly knocking only to be reprimanded by Yusuke for knocking so quite that no one would hear her and in a display of manliness he shows her how it is done. Michelle offers up a call of "coming" while tossing on a wrap styled coat. As she slips her simple black dress flats on her feet she drops her phone and wallet into her deep pockets.

With a deep breath she opens her door and greets the two. Part of her job with the company she works for is to act as an ambassador of sorts, allowing and encouraging everyday interactions with gaijin both inside the classroom and out. This was a necessary evil, she knew from the start so she may as well enjoy it.

The small group walked in silence for half the way. The boy had seemed to have gotten over his reluctance but was just observing the situation, watching for some clue or tell that only he would see. Keiko on the other hand had gotten her nerve up to ask some simple questions and try and make conversation.

Michelle was happy to allow them to walk in silence, not being one for talking. She also knew that she was something very strange and exotic and that she would be lucky to survive the evening without being grilled about her entire life and things she couldn't even possibly know about America. The questions started slowly and timidly. Michelle was thankful that the restaurant wasn't all that much farther and it wouldn't allow time for the questions to pick up the steam she feared.

"America is really big." Said Keiko. Michelle nodded in Agreement. She hadn't been to many places in her home country. "Where are you from?" The young girl continued. Michelle was thankful it was a simple question. After a few moments of thought, she answers.

"Fairbanks, Alaska." She states simply. The Keiko looks at her confused and she goes on. "I grew up in Alaska but went to school in Seattle, Washington." She goes on, hoping that more information would please the girl. The next question comes as they enter the restaurant.

"Where is Alaska? I don't remember it." Michelle smiles as they make their way to the table where a group of teenagers are seated.

"Alaska is the northern most, eastern most and western most state in America as well as the largest. It is isolated up off of Canada and is often forgotten about." She smiles, thinking back on her childhood home. As much as she complained about it growing up no place was quite like it and moving to Seattle was like moving to a new country in its own right.

As they approach, she spies the redhead. Mixed feelings that she can't place flow through her heart only to be shut down with a harsh mental demand of "stop that". He stands and greets them as others wave. Michelle smiles at everyone as introductions take place. Shuiichi bypasses his introduction and simply pulls out a chair for Michelle.

Kazuma Kuwabara and his sister sit to her right and her students sit to her left. This left Shuiichi sitting directly in front of her. Again questions are asked. Where is she from? How does she like Japan? Was she a teacher before? Shizuru jokes that teaching her brother and Yusuke would be enough to drive anyone out of the country.

Michelle just smiles through it all. At Shizuru's joke however she tells the group that the two give her a challenge she looks forward to and enjoys. They make her think. Yusuke more so then Kazuma reminds her of herself. She is forced to think as to how she would have liked her teaches to handle her as well as what would have actually worked on her.

What she leaves unsaid is the fact that it in a way is a healing experience for her. She gets to rectify through her students what she feels her own teaches robbed her of. It is her thought that people become teachers for two reasons, they had a great teacher that they wish to be like or they had poor teachers that they wish to save the students from.

Pizza is ordered. Shuiichi seemed to steer the conversation to other topics whenever Michelle felt like she was getting overwhelmed by the questions and attention. For that she was grateful. At least for the time being, her mistrust of the young man is forgotten.

After the food arrives the talk continues. The curious minds want to know what it was like growing up in America; what it was like growing up in Alaska. Keiko was interested in what makes Alaska different than the rest of America. They talked of holidays in America and how they are celebrated differently than the group did in their lives as well as holidays that didn't make it to Japan and holidays Japan has that America does not.

All through the idle chatter green eyes watched her subtly. Shuiichi was pleased to see that by all appearances the young woman's memories had been influenced and she had been saved from their burden. In his opinion far too many humans have been put at risk due to their knowledge of the wider world than was needed. Some of them are sharing this very meal with him.

Once the meal finished up the group left for a walk. The sun was setting behind them as Keiko led a tour of the area. Michelle wasn't really interested but also wasn't very keen to return home to the lesson plans that needed to be done. Maybe if she ignored it, she could just wing it on Monday.

After some time they walked past an alley, a very familiar alley. Michelle was already lagging a big behind the group. None of those in front of her noticed when her feet stopped moving. Shuiichi noticed however, as he was walking a few paces behind her. He needed some quiet from the chatter and the distance provided that while still politely staying with the group.

As the others moved on, he watched her. The sun was setting behind them. It gave a fiery glow to her hair, highlighting the subtle differences in the shades of red in the mass, giving it a mesmerizing depth. The sun also warmed her pale skin, skin that looked as if it had never seen the warmth of the sun. He had to again admit she was a beauty in her own right.

"Something is wrong." The whisper should have been heard by no one. It was too quiet to be picked up by human ears. However, he did hear it and it unsettled him.

_6/28/15: And now we slowly pick up a little speed. I'm off to revise some more, though I should be working on my costume- I got roped into dressing up for the local anime con at the end of September._


	12. Drama (Chap 11)

_6/28/2015: revision time! OOooooOOOOo__! Okay, so some small changes had been made to allow for a better flow with the story as it develops. Minor details had been added. Not a lot of change really, but worth a reread if you have time_

Chapter 11

In a dark room, four figures watched a shiny surface that was much like a mirror floating in the center of the room. The surface however, was not solid. It rippled and shifted in the warm breeze as it passed through the open windows. Though it was a dry night, the room still felt damp and the moon did little to light the room, losing the battle with the overcast sky. The torches seemed to fail to illuminate the room. Their sputtering and hissing was the only evidence of their best effort.

"It is time we sent more imps into that world." A large robbed figure states plainly, his deep voice is as rough as the stone walls that surround them. A smaller male figure, in similar robs grunts his approval.

"We have to find Soul Gem. That is what is important." A raspy female voice firmly reminds the group. The smaller male rolls his eyes, an action that goes unnoticed due to the hood covering his head.

The reminder shouldn't have needed stating in his opinion, if not for the large man's thirst for causing pointless pain. Once they have the Crystal, they would all have plenty of time for all the pain and destruction they could ever hope for.

The man eyed the fourth figure. She has been silent this whole time, watching the reflective surface in the center of the room intently. Kai isn't sure of her motives. Maki wanted pain to everything and everyone that lived. Suri wanted the power of the Soul Crystal. Kai has his own motives that he keeps close. But Tsuki, the silent female kept her motives as close as he did his.

It wouldn't do for the rest of the group to know that his reasons revolve around Tsuki. It was disgusting for a demon such as him to revolve around one named for the moon. She should revolve around him like a good little moon. However, he never could control this woman. This prize, this crystal he would use to take out all competition and take her as his. With its power she couldn't doubt him as a suitable mate any longer.

Kai again gazed at the female, drinking in every inch of her his eyes could reach and they can reach an awful lot of her considering the folds of fabric she is draped in. Her large chest pokes up from the deep V of her robes. Unlike the others, she has her robe pulled tight against her body leaving very little hidden. Every curve of her form is displayed in a way one wouldn't have thought possible in such a garment. Her large bust was great contrast to her thin frame and long limbs. A sharp nose and chin peek out from under her hood. Perfect lips are pressed into a thin line as she watches the two shown on the shifting surface.

Kai then looks at to what has captured his moon's attention. Two redheads are standing alone as the sun fades behind them. The women's mouth moves in a whisper, her eyes gazing into the room though she is only seeing an empty alley. Her eyes are hazed with memories she can't seem to put together.

Next to her stands a man with eyes that don't seem to fit his young face, showing wisdom and experience beyond what his years would let on. It is this man that Tsuki seems so captivated by. Something about this man seems to be her unsaid goal, not to cause pain for the world, not power but somehow, this human man. Jealousy burns in the pit of Kai's stomach as his Moon watches the man with both undying hate and love for him. What is he to her? Kai makes a mental note to find out. In the end however, this man is nothing more than just another competitor to be eliminated.

"Are you alright?" Shuiichi asks, resting a hand on Michelle's shoulder. He wants to break her trance and get her away from this place. She doesn't need to remember what had really happened that night. Reluctantly she pulls her eyes from the empty alley, unsure of what she remembers and why she feels drawn to the dark dirty alley.

She knows something is wrong with her memory but can't place what or why. The mistrust returns with a crash. Something is wrong and it has to do with him. In that moment a shrill scream fills the air from a few blocks in the direction of the restaurant. Shuiichi's face pales as they both look in the direction of the sound.

Shuiichi takes off with Michelle hot on his heels. The rest of the group took off following the sound as well. Shuiichi leads the group around a sharp alley and into the darkness. After a short sprint Shuiichi halts suddenly. A purse is spilled on the ground. A gruff man is holding a woman who appears to be unconscious.

"Shiori!" Keiko yells as Shuiichi lets out a cry of "Mother". The large man drops the limp woman as he focuses on the interruption.

"Money. Give it all to me!" The man yells as Yusuke and Kuwabara run past Michelle, pushing her back with Keiko and Shizuru. For the time being it appears she has been forgotten.

Michelle watches as threats are issued from both parties. Shuiichi is being called by another name by the man. Her mind is spinning. Shuiichi is calm, the calmest of the males. Why are they calling him by another name? Her knees feel weak. Why is this happening? Michelle is aware of Keiko's hand on her arm. Her head feels light as she swallows thickly.

As Michelle battles to keep her thoughts clear she watches as Shuichi pulls a rose out of his hair and, with a flurry of petals it becomes a thorny vine whip. Imps are summoned by the man and they keep the boys busy. The woman rests bleeding on the ground, a wound easy to see on her head. It likely occurred when her head hit the ground hard.

On shaky legs Michelle works her way to the woman. Shiori needs help. Michelle is at this point painfully aware of the fact that she is not a medical professional. She is also painfully aware of the fact that she has lost her mind. Roses do not become whips. Swords do not materialize out of air nor do glowing bullets come from finger tips.

However, at the edges of her vision she sees all of these things; more evidence that she has gone mad. Michelle ponders the possibilities for a short second. Maybe she was hit by a car? Head trauma would explain so much and the roads in Japan are hardly wide enough for a car in many places.

In her pocket her fingers dance over the smooth surface of a palm sized rock. The cold feel of it gives her comfort and steadies her. She didn't remember grabbing it but is thankful for the presence of the stone. Somehow, it always seemed to be within her reach when she needed it.

Again she tells herself how she has gone mad as she reaches the woman. Shaky fingers brush hair back from a deep head wound. Michelle's stomach jumps into her throat as she sees edges of bone through matted hair and rivers of blood. It was plain to see that this was not a simple bump on the head. This woman needed help, and fast if she was to live.

Michelle strips her coat off, bunches it up and places it under the woman's head after moving her to rest on her back. Michelle then peels off her shirt, leaving the skin not covered by her black skin tight tank top to be exposed to the air that now feels so very cold. Sounds of fighting can be heard all around but Michelle pays little mind to it.

A green imp lunges at Michelle, seemingly out of nowhere. Michelle doesn't register the presence of the creature or the danger she is in. Her whole attention was split between beating down panic and doing whatever she could to save the woman's live. Shuiichi's vine whip slices the imp in half as it's claws just brush Michelle's hair.

After balling up her shirt she dabs at the blood; so much blood. All she can think of is how this is someone's mother. This is Shuiichi's mother. This can't be happening. The world has gone mad. Her head spins as she feels as if she is being lifted away from her body. Mildly she registers that this is a different feeling than her typical panic attack but the thought soon slips away.

Her mind tells her that she is useless, passing out in a time like this. Oh, but what does it matter? She has gone mad and none of this is really happening. She watches the fight for a few moments before looking back at the bleeding women. Her body is moving mechanically without her mind, cleaning the blood from the wound and holding the now soaked shirt to it to try to slow the bleeding. What use was it all anyway? The woman would die. Too much blood is on the ground.

She just wants the bleeding to stop, for the woman to be okay. Her mind spins, trying to take in everything at once. Michelle's breathing up until now has been coming in quick short breaths. Now it comes in calm slow breaths. She watches from what feels like a mile in the sky as blood slows. Michelle feels warmth. From somewhere a mile away her mind sees her hands glowing in a soft pure light.

She watches through her own eyes while her mind still felt to be floating as the bleeding stopped. Thank god, the bleeding stopped. She was aware of the silence behind her, around her. The blood on the ground, the woman, Michelle's shirt and coat started to wave and shimmer as if becoming flecks of glitter before lifting away on an unfelt breeze.

Suddenly, her mind felt as if it crashed into her body at the speed of light. Her stomach hitched but she managed to keep her dinner down. Michelle watched helplessly as black took over her vision. Her face fell onto the woman's shoulder. The last thing she was aware of was her phone announcing in a very annoying voice that she had received a text message and thinking that she must change that notification.

All eyes were on the redheaded woman. Kurama was the first to move, his dear mother was after all the one who was attacked. Gently he moved Michelle back off of his mother and examined her head. Not even a scar remained of the injury. The woman was breathing deep and steady, as if in a restful sleep.

Kurama was satisfied that his human mother looked to be safe. All signs of the fight had disappeared like smoke blowing away leaving the men just a little banged up. Kurama was now torn between taking his mother home himself and dealing with Michelle. After some talking between themselves it was decided that Shiori had not seen anything and is safe, Yusuke would take her home.

Though any of them could have seen to Michelle, Kurama was the oldest and wisest of the group/ He would be best suited to handle whatever was to come when she woke. Not one of them had any idea what Michelle was, what she would remember or what powers she possessed.

As they discussed some final details, the message tone goes off again. Kurama helped himself to Michelle's coat and checked the messages. He was hoping for a clue as to what he may expect when he arrives at the apartment with the sleeping redhead.

He was not disappointed. Two messages from Sara had been received recently. The first was a childish statement that the girl was drunk. The second was to notify Michelle that Sara would be spending the night in the city. Kurama didn't care for the specifics of the messages, just that he could expect to have the apartment to themselves when she awoke. This would allow him to freely question her.

The group split up shortly after. Kurama carried Michelle on his back as if she was tired, not wanting to raise any suspicions. It would look odd to carry her bridal style through the streets while she slept, although it would have been much more comfortable for him. It was still fairly early in the night and with people still milling about he couldn't run with her to quicken the trip as much as he wanted to. It pained him to know that she may wake at any point. Based off the last waking that he witnessed, her waking in the middle of the street could cause a scene.

The young man heaved a sigh as a few people gossiped about the pair of redheads. He knew they would be a sight, him carrying a gaijin. At least she appeared a bit younger than she is; when rumors make their way back to him he knows he can claim she was a date. Another sigh leaves him as that story would still cause him trouble but for now that would have to do.

_1/19/15 That is it for now! I hope you all liked it. Again, thank the amazing Dumbrat for the hard work! She is great putting up with my dropping off the edge of the Earth for a week or so. . I would get annoyed by me. Got my grades back for my last two classes- As for both! Woot! So yeah, that is where my time goes. That and I have been playing FFIV as well so yeah… MMOs eat time like crazy! Work –should- be slowing down for a few months though so that is that._

_Oh, the intro and chapter 1 have been gone over and reposted so if you are curious to see what changes my amazing beta had a major hand in take a look. Nothing that affects the story was changed, just some wording and error fixes. In time the rest of the past chapters will get the same treatment._

_6/29/15: Dude, it never did slow down at work… we just got busier and busier! Annd now summers here and we are….getting busier! _


	13. Recovery (chap 12)

_And here we go. Hope you enjoy!_

* * *

After making his way into the dark apartment he tucks her into bed and leaves her for a moment. His phone vibrates in his pocket. Flipping it out, he sees a text message from his mother wishing him a good night. It seems she believes he is staying over with friends and helping them to study. A moment later, the phone vibrates again as it receives a call.

"moshi moshi" He states flatly. Yusuke was on the other end, no doubt offering an explanation for Shiori's text message. After a few moments the call is ended. Green eyes look down at the phone for a moment in thought before it is slipped into the pocket of his pants.

They had gotten lucky. Shiori remembers little of what happened and was unconscious during the abnormal portions of the night. She appears to have no lasting issues from the injury. All appears to be well with his dear human mother.

He replays the night's events in his mind over again while heaving another sigh. Peace seems to always be so short lived in the land of humans. Turning his eyes again to the sleeping form, he focuses his mind to matters at hand. Who is this woman and what does she mean for the group? What was the light and what is the extent of her powers? What is she?

His many questions likely won't be answered without Michelle's help. His knees ache a bit as he stands and leaves the room, the young woman seemed to be sleeping deeply and he had little fear that she would wake while he was out of the room.

In the living room he finds nothing of much note. A few bottles of alcohol stored away, a few pictures sit in frames. On the table sits two laptops, each facing away from each other. With a finger he pushes the lid of one up. The lid was decorated with stickers of cute chibi characters. Kurama mused that this was not likely to be Michelle's laptop. The bright light of the screen greets him, showing him the latest pop icon out of America.

Seeing nothing of interest on the desktop of this laptop he closes it and moves to the other. Its screen greeted him with an image of fire flaring and swilling into images of blooming roses. He allowed a soft smile to grace his face as scans the desktop. She kept a clean desktop, few items on it. Her document folder contained items with titles showing them to be lesson plans and other ideas. Closing out of the windows he had open he closes the lid again.

Absentmindedly he puts tea on the stove to warm. His poking around the small apartment hasn't given him any clues. Thinking back to the first time he brought her to her home and her reaction upon waking, he reanalyzes the events again. The only conclusion he can come up with is not one that pleases him.

The possibility that no clues exist to be found, that no answers are going to be provided comes to his mind. A chance exists that maybe, Michelle doesn't hold the answers to his questions though she is the source of the questions. This is something Kurama finds troubling.

Upon setting the tea aside to steep, he returned to the room expecting to find the girl still resting, but was greeting by an empty futon. Feeling a cool breeze he turned to see her slim figure staring out the window. The breeze softly blew her hair back, ruffling her bangs. He could see her arms crossed as she leaned on her elbows, planted firmly on the sill of the window.

It was a distracting sight. Kurama tells himself to snap out of it and reminds himself that such thoughts and feelings are that of a teenage boy who can't focus on the task at hand. These thoughts would have a place if Suiichi was real and not just a shell holding his spirit. He reminds himself that he has long left behind the time for boyish desire and selfish physical want. With a slight nod to himself he decides that it must be his now matured human body's hormones influencing his spirit. A mental note is made to keep such things in check. It would do no good to be distracted at this current time, no matter how lovely the distraction is to look upon.

Through his entire silent lecture, Michelle stood at the window. He couldn't be sure what she knew, what she remembered or how she would react to him. Unknown to him, she was playing the events of the night over and over again in her mind. Piecing each event together she would analyze it and use it to build upon. Slowly she gained a grasp over her memory of both this night and the prior night. Her stomach churned as she thought about Shuiichi and if she could trust someone who has already lied to her. His motives had been picked apart with what little information she had. She felt conflicted.

The poison of panic ate away at her nerves. She wanted little more than to scream and run. Anywhere but here felt like a good idea. Running however, would not provide her with the answers she wanted and needed. Without aid she couldn't hope to understand what she had seen.

After heaving a sigh she rests her head in her hands, elbows sitting on the window sill. A moment later both her hands are running through her somewhat tangled locks, pushing the flames of her bangs from her face as she listens to Shuiichi approach. As he nears he can see a pocket knife resting between her elbows.

"Are you doing well?" His voice is soft, not wanting to startle her.

For a few moments she doesn't move. He considers it a good sign that she isn't grabbing for her knife, trying to stab him or even running away in a panic. She takes a deep breath before responding. Her mouth works, though her answer gets caught in her throat. Another moment passes before she nods, not yet looking at him, still gazing out the window.

"Yeah, I think so." She is finally able to voice her answer, quite as it may be. Slowly she turns to him, hand playing over her knife, taking it loosely into her fist. Her grip is halfhearted and in no way ready for a fight. Kurama counts himself lucky as in his eyes she is unlikely to attack or unskilled.

Noticing how close he was, she steps back quickly. Her lack of trust surprises him to a degree, though he should have seen it coming.

"Why should I trust you?" Her voice is demanding and she is doing what she can to not allow her fear to show. Her stance is strong and her feet are firmly planted on the ground. Green eyes look back at him

strong and hard, showing little of the fear she feels inside. The only thing that gives her away is the slight tremble in her voice.

He pauses for a moment, considering. Why should she trust him? "You're safe." He states rather than addressing the question. She steps back, pressing against the window seal now. "I am not going to hurt you." He again reassures. A few moments pass with the two looking each other in the eyes before her body relaxes, just a hair.

"Who are you?" She demands again. Knowing what she saw was real and that calling the cops or fighting him would be pointless. If it came to a fight, she would do her best but in her heart, she knew that would not be enough. She would have to trust him, at least for the time being.

"I am just who I told you. I am Shuiichi." His voice was soft and calm; even as he watched her eyes harden at his response. It would seem that was the wrong answer to give her.

"I am also more than that." He added in attempt to recover. With his hand he motions over to the abandoned futon.

"Let us sit and talk." He offers and makes his way to sit down. She hesitates for a moment. He sighs when she starts to fallow. As she sits he begins again.

"I have been known for the last 19 years of my existence as 'Shuiichi'." At his pause she takes in his words. He did not say 'life' he said 'existence', this choice in words was not lost to her. He begins again, "I am however, much older than that. How old doesn't matter. After a number of centuries, age stops having any meaning." He watches her. Such simple words that carry a lot of weight to a human, if believed.

Michelle leans forward, resting her elbows on her knees as she rests her face in her hands. Part of her wanted to call this man mad and to say no creatures could live for such a long time, but in the end, what did she know? She sits back up when he begins to speak again.

"It was my human mother you saved. In the last 19 years of my life, she has become dear to me. Taught me things I never knew. For that I thank you." He meant every word.

"How?" Her voice was soft as a rose's petal and if not for his sharp hearing, her question would have been lost. How indeed, did she heal his mother? The answer to that question was something he had hoped she could give him. Now that hope was slipping through his fingers.

"You don't know." He stated, rather than asked. She answered anyway.

"You have never had odd occurrences? Do your injuries heal faster than normal? People around you heal faster than what is normal?" He felt almost as if he was begging her for a clue. Something, anything that he could grasp and that would give his search for answers direction would be enough to make him happy at this point. Her hair sways and shimmers as she shakes her head.

"Nothing. I swear I am average. Normal. Nothing is special about me." Her voice cracked a bit, showing just a hint of the fear she kept pushing down.

He felt the need to disagree, she was something special. As much as he was loath to admit it, she was intriguing and to catch his interest one would have to be above average and better than normal. Again he makes note to do something to put a lock around his pesky human body's hormones.

Some time passes as he answers some of her questions. What she saw and what it means for her view of the world. He is open with her, honest and she is thankful for that as he opens her eyes to a world full of the demons she thought only existed in stories. Still, though he tells her that he is some powerful fox older than her by a great number of years, she sees little more than the human redhead, younger than her by a few years.

"So, what do I call you?" She asks. Having had some time to process the information she is feeling somewhat comfortable with him. It is hard for her to say if it is for a valid reason or if she is just suffering from information overload at the moment. She decides to enjoy it none the less.

Her question causes him to pause and think. No one has thus far actually asked him what he would prefer to be called. It was a trivial matter really as both Shuiichi and Kurama are his names. Kurama is the name he is most used to hearing. It is him. Shuiichi felt much like a nickname, only being a part of his existence for the most recent of times.

"Around others who do not know of the darker side of existence, Shuiichi would be best. My mother knows nothing of who I am beyond her human son. Any other time, call me as you see fit." He answers and for a few moments they sit in silence before he watches a yawn escape her pretty little mouth.

"I can leave you to rest, if you would like" He offers while standing up. Mentally he cringes at the thought of her mouth, well aware that he needs to get a hold of himself. He isn't some young kit just seeing a female for the first time. While his thoughts are distracted, she grabs onto his sleeve, near his wrist causing him to turn to look at her.

With her eyes downcast and face tilted away from him, he almost missed the light blush that tinged her cheeks. Also almost missed was her soft request for him to stay. It was a request he found himself happy to grant.

* * *

_And that's that. Another chapter is in editing stage and I have the next ready to be sent off to the amazing dumbrat for editing. We are moving right along here. I hope everyone enjoyed. *bows out gracefully* _


	14. It will be done (chap 13)

The morning sun woke Michelle gently from her deep sleep. Saturday morning was the one day she allowed herself to sleep in. Sunday mornings she dedicated to preparing for the week and so her reward for a week of hard work, long hours spent grading and unappreciated time spent on lesson plans was one day without a morning alarm set on her phone.

A warm breeze came in through the open window to ruffle some of her bangs. The sun felt warm on her skin. Waking up was not something she wanted to do right now. She was in that place where she couldn't get more comfortable.

Warmth seeped into her and she cuddled into it more. Her leg was wrapped around something firm and warm. She nuzzled herself closer to the warmth. Being warm was something she always loved. It made her feel safe and cozy. She sighs as she takes in the scent of forest and roses. Mentally she approved of the scent and dozed back into dreamland.

Meanwhile, her soft movements and nuzzles did not go unnoticed by the source of her warmth. This is not the position he had expected to wake up in. While in many ways waking up with an attractive redhead wrapped around you would be great news to any man, Kurama was less than pleased to find himself in such a position.

After a few moments he opens his eyes and looks down at the sleeping form using his chest and shoulder as a pillow. She looked to be at peace. Red hair fanned out behind her. Wavy locks created a mesmerizing pattern along the bed. Now, with no one to see, he was able to truly take her in.

Her natural scent was that of moonflowers. He wondered why that seemed to be the case, humans had a unique musk that was easy to pick up under the products that they slather themselves with. He could still smell the scent of the vanilla wash she must use however, under that scent she smelled of a moonflower in bloom. It was as if she was a flower herself.

Part of his mind registered that this could be his only clue but the information was pushed back to be filed away for now. As much as he hated to admit it, he wanted to stay just as he was for a few moments longer. Rather than wake her he plays over the night in his mind again.

She had asked him to stay. Her green eyes had pleaded with him. As he had moved to sit back down she scooted herself to the wall, resting against it. It took a few moments for him to join her. Always reminding himself repeatedly not to get too close to her and that he was not in the place for female distractions.

After some thought, he decided to lead her to talking of her past, her life and growing up in America. After some time her eyes began to drop and she started to doze off. When he made to get up she stopped him again. It was then that she admitted that she was troubled by nightmares and feared that whey would come in the night. She laughed it off, saying how silly it was and would dodge questions regarding the content of the dreams. He noted that her laugh was forced, much unlike the chimes he had heard during the dinner.

At first, he only intended to stay with her until she fell asleep. He didn't expect that she would fall asleep leaning on him. He must have fallen asleep as well. For a moment he cursed his human body and its need for constant rest. The fact that in his past life he often slept regularly, often times out of boredom.

A shift in her position brought him out of his thoughts. She sighed and moaned the most delectable moan as she nuzzled into him again. She pulled her leg up along his legs and up to his hip before stretching both of her legs out. He was painfully aware of her long leg and their trail along his own legs. Again he cursed his human body. A female hasn't haunted his thoughts in nearly a thousand years.

After stretching she again nuzzled into him only to stop with a jerk. He bit back a chuckle when he realized that she had become aware that she wasn't alone in her bed. Surprise was a reaction he always loved to see played out.

He had spent much of the night thinking about what to do with this girl that troubles him so. Held in his hand is a thorn ever so small from a little known plant. He spent his night debating if his pesky lust for her is worth putting her in danger and weigh her down. Humans are not meant to know of demons. He sighs as he stands.

The girl meanwhile had scooted to the edge of her futon and flopped off the edge of the thick padding in the most ungraceful manner before putting everything together. Kurama allowed an amused chuckle to leave him only to receive a halfhearted glare from the girl. Her heated face brought another chuckle down, he offers his hand to help her from her crumpled heap of blankets.

Michelle felt stupid for forgetting he was there and blushed her embarrassment for the world to see. Thankfully it was just the two of them. Mentally she groaned over the fact that she had been cuddling him in a very intimate way.

'He's only 19', she reminds herself. 'No, he is much older than that.

She couldn't suppress the chuckle when he reached down to offer her aid. The night's stresses had gotten to her head and now, she just needed to laugh. Come what may, she would be fine. She always said she would be fine no matter what because she had no other option.

As she reached up to take his hand she laughed away her fears for the time being. She was aware she probably looked like a loon but didn't care. Laugher is good for the soul, or at least she was always told. So what if demons are real? So what if the world isn't as it seems? She would be okay.

He watched her with curious eyes as she laughed from her embarrassment. The weight of stress around her was lessened and her scent lifted into a heavenly aroma. At that moment he felt a pang of regret for what he had decided to do.

Her soft hand slipped into his own. He was aware of how small it seemed. He gripped her hand and pulled her up to her feet. It was in that moment the thorn pricked into her skin. She sucked in a breath and yanked her hand from his and looked for the offending thorn.

He watched as she pulled it from her hand and looked back at him. All the while he watched as the thorn's energy, now released by contact with blood swirled and mixed with her own as it seeped into her body. It would only be a few moments now.


	15. Dinner Date (14)

_Thanks to my amazing ability to consistanty repeat a typo and turn bagel into beagle and Dumbrat's editing comments I can't read this chapter without hearing her in my head "poor poor beagles became breakfast… Poor doggies." I nearly died when I got to that part of the edit. Really. _

_I hope everyone is enjoying the story so far. Things are picking up now and so it is easier to write it. It also means a lot less real life elements can be worked in but I am going to try to still hold true to Japan as well as a lot of the myths that our anime draw from, including that of the kitsune as it is one of my favorite ones. As always, if you have any ideas for culturally funny or interesting situations to stick Michelle, Sara or even Raven (I'm not opposed to picking on a side OC lol) into feel free to toss them my way._

_The Japanese I use isn't always textbook correct, it is colored by what I have picked up in Japan, slang and dialects so please forgive me if I use something slightly different than you learned it or than is "correct", for example, a reviewer spotted that the tense was off in one of the early chapters- totally right textbook wise but that is also common usage in real life. _

_Reviews are always welcome, they make me feel warm and fuzzy. Now onward- let's get this over with!_

"What in the hell?!" She questioned, looking at the thorn in her finger. If looks could kill, that little thorn would be a smoking pile of ash. "Where in the hell did this come from?!" Her rant calms some as she holds the thorn out to him, "It must have been stuck in your sleeve or something."

He counts himself lucky that she didn't blame him for the prick. His eyes are glued to her as she moves to toss the torn out of the window. Her light green energy swirls around that of the thorn. The black of the thorn should have over taken her by now. She should be on the ground, asleep as her mind was being freed from the knowledge of demons.

That is not what was happening. Before his eyes, the palest green tint swirled from her, a part of her energy and yet something completely different. As this thin wisp of energy swirls with her aura and as it touches the taint introduced by the thorn, the taint is destroyed. All the while, Michelle appeared to be unaware of the battle her aura fought.  
Interesting. Most interesting indeed.

It appears that removing the memories through anything stronger than a suggestive method is not possible. He watched her back as she leans out the window, taking a look at the sky. He smirked to himself; it has been a long time since he has had a mystery to solve. She is proving to be very much a mystery.

The chime of his phone brings them both out of their thoughts. Michelle runs off with word of starting an American breakfast and leaves him alone in the room. She didn't want to be around if he had to answer a girlfriend's questions as to where Kurama had been all night, though their night had been nothing but innocent didn't change how it would seem to another.

Kurama took a deep breath before answering. He would have a bit of explaining to do.

"Moshi Moshi." His voice was clear, warm and confident. He was greeted by his mother's voice on the other end of the call. It was something he would much rather hear then his stepfather's voice with his demands. They talked for a few moments. She asked a few questions, he answered with vague responses that had been somewhat based in truth. He did, after all, spend the night with a friend who wasn't feeling well.

Michelle swept around her small kitchen in a blur as she mixed batter and pulled out a pan and a few plates. She had gotten pancake mix a few days ago to make her and Sara this morning but it appears Sara didn't come home. The thought made Michelle frown. Sara was becoming increasingly absent from her life as all of the girl's time was devoted to her boyfriend.

The sound of Kurama entering the room pulled her from her thoughts. She flipped her last pancake, browned to perfection and plated up the food. When he moves to help her carry the plates, bottle of syrup and glasses of milk she attempts to shoo him away. It was this motion that caused the bottle of  
syrup to fall from its place trapped between her arm and breast. Moving to stop the fall causes her to lose balance on a plate as well.

Kurama moves and catches the offending items. In a blink of an eye he was right in front of her, saving her from the mess and from ruining breakfast. The swiftness of his actions caught her off guard. No human could move that fast. But, that is what she is coming to terms with. Not everyone is human. He's not human. Again she pushes back the voice that tells her to panic and that she has gone insane.

After her stunned moment passes, she joins him at the table. All the while, the wheels in Kurama's mind where turning. He searched his mental archives trying to find any tidbit of information. He had clues, yes, but nothing he could really run with. Her voice pulls him from his mental search just when he felt like he was getting close to something, what exactly he was close to, he doesn't know.

"Your girlfriend mad that you dropped off the face of the Earth for a night?" She joked. His eyebrow rose, as he mentally questioned if that is how his phone call appeared.

"I don't have a girlfriend." His answer came nonchalantly, "It was mother, checking in"

For a few they eat and chat about how Shiori is doing. Soon he was leaving with a promise to check on her later. She held a slip of paper in her hand with his phone number should she need him. Sending him off with assurances that she is going to be fine and a wave, she watches his form move off into the distance.

The door closes and she leans against it before sliding down and sitting in the entry of her apartment. With her head in her hands she comes to terms with the fact that she is attracted to him; her students' friend; someone about five years younger than her; someone who really was much older than her; someone who was a demon. With a groan she pushes her head up out of her hands and back, where it proceeds to connect with the door with a solid thunk, eliciting another pained groan.

And to think, Michelle thought her love life in America was difficult?!

After a few moments she pushes herself up off the floor and tackles normal life. In the early afternoon Sara returns.  
The girls talk about their nights, Michelle leaving out the less than normal bits.

Sara's night had started off with a nice dinner and shopping. Her boyfriend had spoiled her. They spent the night in a 'love hotel'. Sara insisted that his choice of accommodations was purely in an effort to be funny. The girls talked about how the rest of the night went, how his performance ranked up with the countless other ex's.

Sara wasn't a slut or easy by any means but she embraced her body and her sexuality. If men can have sex as often as they want why can't women? Sara was always responsible about her actions. What had Michelle concerned was something Sara seemed to think little of; in all of Sara's tells of this boyfriend he seemed to be possessive. More so then would be expected for the amount of time they had been together and more so than Sara normally would allow.  
Michelle is left to her thoughts as Sara runs off to her room to take a call from Mr. Amazing. She hoped that her friend wouldn't get hurt.

For all the strange and crazy of Friday night, the rest of the weekend passed as it normally would. Lessons planned and steady progress on the mountain of papers that needed grading. Late Sunday before bed, Michelle finished grading her last paper. At the top was the student's name; Urameshi, Yusuke. Next to the score, not nearly a passing mark, written in her favorite metallic purple pen was "Told ya!" and a smiley face. He got some vocabulary right, many ones that during class he told her he didn't know and refused to try. She knew he is expecting a 0 on this assignment. It seems the boy doesn't know how much he actually does know.

Judging from the paper, he likes fruits better than vegetables. That is something that seemed to hold true for most of the class, assuming they learned the names of the foods they like more than the ones they didn't like. It was an idea that she filed away for later use as she crawled into bed after finishing her bath and slightly buzzed from the beers she had shared with Sara.

Morning came all too quickly. She awoke earlier than normal, though not by choice. She made quick work of her hair and makeup, keeping to her everyday natural look.

"Coffee's hot!" Sara shouts from the living area as Michelle exits her room. She finds Sara slipping into her shoes.

"What's up?" She makes quick work of pouring herself a cup of the black goodness.

"Breakfast with Hikoku." The Burnette states as she fiddles with her shoes before throwing her hands up. "Gah! How do they slip all their shoes on so damn easy!" Sara plops down with a thud onto the floor, settling for putting her shoes as she would have every day.

"I think practice?" Michelle calls, not really paying attention to the other girl. Mentally she scratches her plans of pancakes for breakfast. She didn't really feel like cooking just for herself. It wasn't that long ago that the two friends used to get breakfast together on their way to their morning school.

After a moment's thought she takes her coffee out onto the balcony and watches Sara as she jogs up to a fancy car and hops in. Michelle wishes she knew why she had such bad feelings about Hikoku.

As she leans on the rail, basking in the morning sun her mind wonders. It seemed too strange that after all that happened Friday night, all she had learned about the darker world around her that Monday would come just as any other Monday. Shouldn't she see the world differently or something? It all felt too normal.

She puts her cup on the sink after rinsing it out and grabs her coat, feeling like she may as well leave early as well. Thoughts of a breakfast bagel cheer her up. Maybe one of the cafes between home and the elementary school sells it or something similar.

Food always did manage to perk her right up. Michelle would never be a size 0, her hips are too wide though she has always been on the thin side of average. Mentally she thinks of how doomed she would be if she ever needed to diet.  
Walking in the sun also did her mood good. Finding a breakfast bagel on the first stop as well as a mocha that tasted like home did her mood even better. By the time she reached the school she was humming some American Country song that got stuck in her head at the café.

Before classes started she chatted with Robin, making plans to grab lunch at a nearby café. Just before she walked into her first class she caught sight of Sara, running through the doors to the school. Sara was almost late. Sara could often come off as ditzy but one thing she was always good about was being on time. Michelle didn't have time to think about it though, a classroom of small children need to be taught their English lesson.

Morning classes had been full of giggles and laughs as more vocabulary was taught and reviewed. Michelle truly got the most enjoyment out of teaching her youngest students and having them teach her. Today's task they had for her? Some tongue twister about turtles. After failing at it, she retaliated with her own and the class took a detour down learning about Peter Piper and his pickled peppers.

Michelle and Robin meet for lunch at the same quite café they grabbed their first lunch at. As they get their food a sulking Sara makes her way over to them and sits down at their table. While Sara is always welcome, her mood has Michelle on edge.

"Thanks for inviting me." Sara states pointedly, eyeing Michelle who chokes on her soda. This is a temper tantrum she knows well from their days in high school.

"I haven't seen you since you changed plans and left for breakfast with Hikoku." Michelle doesn't want to do this right now.

"He's coming over for dinner next Friday."

"Why not this Friday?" Michelle asks.

"Business meetings" Sara gets up and walks away. Michelle's eyebrow goes up at the display. She expected more of a tantrum or more of something. Sara has never been one to be a cold person and she certainly just felt very cool. Robin looks to Michelle for clarification and Michelle didn't have a lot to say.

"I have no fucking clue." Was the best answer she could give.

The afternoon classes passed slower. The older students required more formal teaching but all enjoyed the treat of sliced fruit from the café. The catch? They could only eat the fruits they could name in English.

As the last class came to an end she passed out the student's graded papers. She was rewarded with the look of shock on Urameshi's face. Most everyone discarded his few correct answers and the English scribbles but she could see that he knew what she did. She told him he could do it, and no matter how small, he did it. He has been coming to her classes more often. From other student's reactions she gathers that he skips most of the day.

When he looks up at her she looks him in the eyes as she gives him a smile. She then dismisses the class for the end of the day and starts cleaning up.

When only a few students are left, Urameshi and his friends mainly, she states plainly that she is going to take her books and finish the fruit on the roof. At first, she didn't think he would come and was thinking about heading home herself. He waited until no one else was around and then made his appearance.

Alone on the roof, he would let his guard down and she would treat him with the respect that is so foreign to him and ever so slowly over time, they went over basic English. She didn't stress getting him caught up or learning certain things, all she cared about was teaching him something he would use. This became their thing, meeting every few days on the roof. The topic of the strange occurrences on that Friday night seemingly so long ago didn't come up at first.

It was awhile before he asked her about it and he kept his questions simple and focused on how she has been doing, if she remembered anything about what had allowed her to heal Shiori or if she had anything strange happen. In the meantime she would catch glimpses of Kurama. Thursday came quickly and tomorrow she would have to make dinner for Sara and her boyfriend. It was a task she wasn't looking forward to.

Friday came around and she cooked an American dinner at the suggestion of Sara. Ribs, baked potatoes and steamed veggies adorned the plates. It had been hard to make the meal with her small kitchen but Michelle pulled it off. Now the food sat on the plates in front of the three people sitting at the table with glasses of red wine to the sides.

Hikoku pushed his food around and nibbled at it. Sara, though excited for the meal all day copied him. Michelle frowned at the both of them as she ate her food. It tasted damn good considering making it on the other side of the world from home. The sauce on the ribs was sweet, like Sara liked it but she was just nibbling at it.

After a few minutes Hikoku speaks up, his voice dripping with distain that grates on Michelle's nerves.

"How can Americans eat this?" He pushes his plate away. Michelle's eyebrow twitches with annoyance and Sara also pushes her plate away.

"I'll run to the market and grab something better, Hikoku. Stay here, I'll just be a minute." In seconds she is up from the table and giving Michelle a deadly look that said, 'how dare you embarrass me.' Michelle was at a loss as to how to respond to the situation. Being left alone with Hikoku was not high on her list of things she wanted however. It actually was ranked somewhere near spending more time with him and being pulled behind a horse by a rope. Sara was gone before she had a chance to stop her.

Michelle looked at Hikoku and felt a chill run down her spine. Something was not right. He was not right.

_How do you all like Hikoku? I can't stand him at all! lol I hope you all are liking Sara and Michelle. Feedback! _


	16. Trapped (15)

Hello!

3,000+ words!  
I'm actually very excited to post this and the upcoming chapters as they get edited by the amazing dumbrat. I really like where this is going. At this point, things really really pick up the pace and reality is slowly phased out for the supernatural. We are hitting the meat of the story. Most of the last 10+ chapters had been to introduce characters, their personalities and establish friendships. What else has me excited is the chance to develop Michelle and Kurama's friendship into something more, slowly. I'm doing what I don't see done often and holding true to the more demonic nature that is just under the surface. I think it is a part of him that gets ignored a lot- he's not human and so I don't think he would 'fall in love' like a human would. You see that a bit here in this chapter and the next but it's really going to show up in chapter 20, I'll stop talking now and get on with it.

(be thankful, this almost didn't get posted tonight since it's my daughter's 2nd birthday today! 3)

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Michelle gathered plates and offered a halfhearted 'sorry' for the 'poor' dinner before clearing them from the table and taking them to the sink to begin washing them. She didn't like being left alone with Hikoku, though she couldn't give herself a good reason as to why. She had been alone with men before. She just doesn't like this man in the slightest. Michelle comes to the conclusion that Hikoku may kill her friendship with Sara as she doesn't feel that she could ever be friendly with such a man as this.

He was behind her before she even heard him stand and the realization of this sharply pulled Michelle from her thoughts. His grip on her arm was like cold metal as he turned her to face him causing the cup in her hand to slip from her fingers. The sound of glass shattering on the edge of the sink filled the room. The look on his face was like a bucket of cold water over her head. Fear chilled her to her very core.

"Where did you hide the gem?" He asked. His voice was sharper now than she remembered.

"What?" she backed herself tight against the sink and had nowhere to go. Sharp glass nicked at her back from the edge of the counter however she paid it no mind.

"I don't sense it here." He snarled, stepping closer to her. The broken rim of the glass slid into the sink, clattering against more jagged shards, leaving Michelle's back unharmed.

"I don't have any gems. What are you talking about?" She demanded, attempting to sound defiant her confusion made her sound more uncertain than anything else.

At the market Sara rushes around, grabbing food she has seen Hikoku enjoy before. Guilt pained her for the way she was treating her longtime friend. She gnawed at her lip as she rushed around a corner and into another person. An arm reaches out swiftly and catches her before she falls to the ground. Looking up she is met by red hair and green eyes she has only seen once before, the helpful stranger.

"You're Michelle's roommate?" His voice was smooth as he spoke the words in English with no hesitation. His hands are firm on her arms as he makes sure she is steady.

"I," she pulls out of his reach. "Yeah, I'm Sara." She bows, holding onto her basket. Hikoku wouldn't like another man having his hands on her, even in such an innocent fashion. He was the possessive type however Sara, ever the optimist found this endearing and felt wanted because of it. As she waits in line he waits behind her, trying to make small talk with her. Much to her dismay he followed her out of the store.

"Mind if I walk you back?" He asks. "I have been meaning to see how Michelle has been doing."

No. No. No. No. No. Her mind screamed at her that she had to get away, get back to Hikoku. But surely he would understand if Shuiichi was just going to see Michelle. Maybe having him over would cut the tension in the room.

"Yeah" she nods definitively. He ignored the hesitation in her voice. It was clear that she greatly wished he did not join her but he ignored it. He had been watching Michelle from afar since their last meeting and wished to check up on her, though he hadn't noticed anything out of the ordinary; just that she was a bit more stressed than what appeared to be her normal.

Yusuke had told him of her dinner plans tonight and how little she was looking forward to them. Finding Sara here, at the store grabbing food gave Kurama the impression that the dinner didn't go as planned. As he waiting with Sara he took note of a peculiar scent clinging to her, one that he couldn't place. It was almost human but some underlying note reminded him of smoke. Not the scent so much as the inability to hold onto the scent long enough to identify it.

The counter pressed hard into her back as she pressed against it. Hikoku reached up and grabbed hold of the collar of her shirt, at her neck and yanked, throwing her to the ground to his left.

"Where is it?" He hissed. He was on her in seconds, his hands reaching and grabbing everywhere, looking for the gem. Michelle was dazed; her head had hit the wooden floor of the kitchen area fairly hard. She still fought him, not understanding what was going on but knowing that his hands grabbed at places they shouldn't. He was Sara's boyfriend. This shouldn't be happening. She mistook his actions as he grabbed at her chest.

He hissed his frustrations not finding his treasure. His hand clamped over her mouth to muffle her cries. Eyeing the woman under him, he wished he could partake in her more feminine pleasures as he was sure she feared was his goal.

The gem was the priority however and he didn't have the time to enjoy the woman under him and still locate it. They wouldn't be pleased if he returned without it. The only way he wouldn't be able to sense it is if she was hiding the gem with her own bodies energies, blending it in with herself.

With his knee he shoved her legs apart and kneeled over her, this protecting himself and his crotch from any blows. With his weight on his left arm, he pinned her head down by her neck. This prevented much air from entering her lungs and thus she couldn't scream. Her hands swatted and batted at his arms. Her nails dug into his flesh pulling forth trails of blood. After flowing for a few inches however, the red liquid would float away like smoke. Michelle fought with strength she didn't know she had but it wasn't enough. The man above her felt like an immovable mountain. Hikoku looked down at her with inhuman eyes.

He needed to be quick. Sara would return soon and he did not intend to lose his playtoy over a damn rock. He planned to have Michelle passed out and have his way with his woman. As his eyes roamed over Michelle's body again he couldn't help but think of how he would rather use the redhead to fulfill those needs but the brunette would have to do. Her worries upon finding Michelle passed out would be easy to put at ease, Michelle just fell asleep. Sara was of little concern; she was under his control when they were together, that much he saw to.

Cold fingers pushed up her skirt, dancing over the flesh of her leg as she begins to struggle with a new urgency. Under her skirt was the only place he hadn't checked for the gem. Tears flooded Michelle's eyes as she feared what was to happen next. He groped at her, feeling every inch of her.

It was decided in his mind. She must be storing the gem inside of her body. What a little slut to do such a thing! A twisted grin spread over his face as he yanked her undergarments to the side. Michelle tried to scream the best she couldbut the only sound that escaped her mouth was a strangled squeak. Fingers clawed at the arm against her neck, drawing more blood but doing little else. Black dots swim across her vision as her body screams for the oxygen that is largely cut off. Scratching becomes slapping that grows weaker and weaker.

Shuiichi and Sara reached the steps and started to make their way up. They had mostly walked in silence though Sara attempted to keep up an appearance of being chipper and happy. Halfway up the first set of stairs Shuiichi stops dead in his tracks. Sara could have sworn that someone turned the guy into ice. She could almost feel all the warmth zapped from his very being. The shift in his eyes however is what most disturbed her. His eyes went from the warm glow of a summer forest to a frozen emerald. Sara had never seen such a shift in a person before, and for seemingly no apparent reason.

"Shui-"She is cut off as he breaks into a run, taking the stairs two at a time in his long strides. She runs to try and keep up with him but finds it nearly impossible to stay on his heels. "What's wrong?!" She yells in a panic. He offers no response other than the continued urgency in his movement. This leaves her scared and confused. Everything seemed fine. It seemed normal.

Kurama's hearing is much more sensitive than a human's and at the steps he caught the sound of whimpers and muffled screams. It was Michelle's voice. His stomach dropped as if a lead wait materialized. He prayed to the spirits that it was just some human sadness, homesickness maybe. He knew however, that something was dangerously wrong. He didn't have a second to spare to explain to Sara.

He chastised himself. He should have heard her sooner. He knew it wasn't his failing however, being on the third floor the sounds simply couldn't reach him on the ground at a greater distance but that did little to stop him from beating himself up as he raced up the flights of stairs. It took all he had to push back the murderous rage. This rage was too strong for just an acquaintance however that was a fact he chose to be blind to.

The doorknob turns easily in his hand however the door gives resistance. Sara catches up as he slams into the unlocked door with his shoulder, breaking the seal with a snap that was felt, not heard. It was not a physical barrier sealing the apartment off and that further fueled his rage. His momentum propels him into the room with Sara hot on his heels, panting for breath.

The sight Sara finds rips an ear piercing scream full of hurt and rage from her lungs. Hikoku had Michelle pinned, her face red and pointed to the door. She can clearly see Michelle's legs spread and her boyfriend positioned between them. Scratches on his arm are evidence of her mighty struggle for freedom and air. The blouse Michelle wore was partially ripped open and her skirt was pushed up. Hikoku's hand was up in Michelle's skirt.

Michelle was dazed from lack of air. She let a strangled cry out when the door smashed in however; the sound was lost under Sara's scream. Michelle's eyes locked on Kurama's and she reached out to him. Lacking the strength to hold her arm in the air she let it fall to the ground, fingers twitching before slowly pulling her hand back to the arm pressed against her neck.

Hot anger burned in his cold green eyes as they locked with her watery match. She fought hard, he could see that. The scratches are proof enough of her struggle. The man on top of his woman hissed at the intrusion. It was a sound similar to that of a lizard. This and the barrier on the door was the only hints of his less than human nature.

Time seemed slowed for Sara. Kurama had only paused for a split second however that moment seemed to last forever. Sara's world shattered as she took in the sight. Her heart broke. Her mind screamed at her that this was her fault.

In a heartbeat Sara watched the man she knows as Shuiichi cross the small room. His leg pulled back and his kick connected with Hikoku's ribcage. The movement was strangely fluid. The liquid grace this man seemed to possess amazed Sara, though she wasn't at a place to fully appreciate it. The sound of bone shattering filled the room as the force of the blow ripped the man off of Michelle. He hit the wall and used it to propel forward in a roll. Shuiichi kicked him again, this time landing him near Sara's feet.

He stands quickly, looking at Sara with blood dripping off his chin.

"She seduced me." He pleaded, trying to save his position. She slapped him, tears streaming down her face. Kurama was on the man again, spinning him to receive a hard punch to his face as Sara runs to Michelle's aid. After this last blow, the man slips through Kurama's fingers as if his body became smoke. Kurama attempts to grab him as he feels the room, with no success. Once outside, Hikoku disappears as if smoke in the wind, leaving Kurama very troubled as he joins the girls inside.

"He is gone." He stated flatly, his voice giving away his tension.

Michelle had herself backed into a corner with her forehead resting on her knees. Sara was attempting to get Michelle to talk and kept apologizing. It was easy to see the girl felt at fault, she was crying nearly as hard as Michelle was. Kurama placed a hand on Sara's shoulder, causing her to look up.

"Why don't you make us some tea? I'll try to get her out of this room." His voice was soft and low. Michelle needed calming energies around her right now, not the panic that was radiating off of Sara. She nodded and stood, giving Michelle one last squeeze on the hand before going over to the kitchen area.

Rather than keel down first he reaches over and opens the sliding door to the small balcony. He wanted the stench of that creature out of the room. It was a selfish wish, he didn't even give if the girls could smell the vile creature a thought, just that he needed the stench gone before he could begin to think clearer. Just the smell alone was enough to bring back the rage. Kneeling down he takes Michelle's hands in his own.

"Can you stand?" he asks softly.

Michelle ignores him, lost in her own world where she contemplates the past, Sara and what she did to make Hikoku do what he did as well as what he could have wanted with her. Sara was plenty attractive and more of a free spirit. He couldn't take anything from Michelle that Sara would not have willingly given.

When asking didn't work, Kurama slips his arm under her legs and one around her back. In one swift motion that would make many women jealous, he was off his knee, standing tall with her nestled in his arms. Her head rested on his shoulder. Some of his hair tickled her nose but she didn't care enough to reach up and move it. The soft scent of roses enveloped her. It seemed to waft from his hair strongest, as if he used a rose scented shampoo. She almost smiled, though he was decidedly feminine in many ways, she couldn't picture him using rose shampoo. The thought slipped from her mind as easily as it came.

He was grateful to find that she had been lazy that morning and did not put her futon up, allowing him to set her on the edge without having to set it out first. Rather than stand after setting her down he kneels before her. Gentle fingers brush her hair off her face. He studies her for a few moments as she hunches over herself.

"I'll go check on that tea." His voice was soft as he stood and left the room, not bothering to wait for a reply.

After giving Sara instructions to make a mild white tea infused with jasmine he excuses himself to the washroom in order to have a much needed private moment to think and clear his head. Looking into his own eyes he attempts to pinpoint the source of his rage. It was uncharacteristic of him to get so obviously angry of someone who was of little importance.

He thinks back to when he got up heard her cries. The feeling of panic he had. The scent of fear and tears mixed with a man's scent when he reached the top of the second flight of stairs ignited his anger to a level he hadn't felt in many years. The rage didn't come then. No, it crashed down on him when he fell through that door and saw that creature on his woman.

His woman.

He groaned and ran his fingers through his hair. Damn it all to hell. It had been over 500 years since he allowed himself to partake in the feminine form and yet without being aware of it a little human girl wormed her way under his skin. A low growl of frustration left his lips. He didn't have time for a woman nor was he in a place to partake in her wiles and be done with her. Truth be told, he no longer held much favor with using a woman for his own pleasure alone any longer.

It was then that he made his choice. He would distance himself from her and get his emotions under control. She didn't need to be put in more danger by having him around and he didn't need the distraction. Once he could identify why and who was targeting Michelle he could eliminate the threat. Once that was done, he could remove himself from her life as well as free himself from whatever it was about her that drew him back to her.

Upon returning to Michelle's room he found her much as he left her. The scent of tears was thick as he walked up to her and kneeled down in front of the futon. She looked up at him, her eyes shone bright with unshed tears. He said nothing. Then her small form hit his, her hands balled into fists in his shirt and she buried her face in his shoulder. Unsure of what else to do he wrapped her in his arms. She allowed herself to really cry then, as he held her. His previous decision and resolve to leave her both shattered in that instant.

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So? What do you think? Do you guys hate Hikoku yet? Haha I hate him so much! Is it weird that I created a character that I hate? He reminds me of my exhusband. Only just noticed that too... maybe that's why I hate him? .

I know this chapter comes of a bit Mary Sue but- Michelle is human. Mostly just plain ol human and what could she do?

Please let me know what you guys think!


	17. Puzzle pieces (chap 16)

_first: I'm sorry, I have been so busy! Dumbat had this back to me weeks ago with revisions and...FFXIV and my chainmaille business both have kept me away. =^.^= Hard to complain though when it means people are buying my work._

_Second:  
Hakudoushi-9: I'm happy that I was able to create a baddie that was real enough to bring up memories. I myself, am not black but I have played that game before and never again. Cutting Hikoku down felt good- kinda like mentally cutting down my own ex demon. As for the Munchkin- thanks for the birthday wishes for her. 'Mine' has already started, though she can't say 'mine' yet so its "me!" and grabby hands. -.-" Only 13 days into 2 years old and already so done with it! But on the other hand, she is so much more fun now (when she is not screaming, crying, trying to climb me, trying to climb things, trying to eat everything in the fridge, ect.)_

_Counting Sinful Stars &amp; Kitsune2477: Yes I loved the back and forth as well. I felt that was as true to him as I could be. _

_Pelawen: Yes, I hated him too. It felt good to kill him._

_On that note, This story is written and rated M for a good reason. While it does not break FFN's rules and will not contain lemons at times adult and sexual situations and encounters will happen. I do not shy away from the human form, male or female. This is not a smut story however I feel demons would be more... open... to their sexuality and so I reflect that. I started this story with the goal of challenging myself to 1) finish it and 2) not shy away from things that may fluster me. I am (believe it or not...) actually a very shy and reserved person and the... sexier?... bits are the ultimate challenge for me to write. Know that what written belongs in the story and is not pointless- now know Michelle and Sara, even Raven somewhat. You do not how Tsuki, Kai or the other 'bad guys'... yet. I'm curious if, in the end you can bring yourselves to hate all of my baddies like you did Hikoku. Time will tell._

* * *

After a good cry she felt better. Part of her wanted to shower and wash the feel of his hands off her skin. In this instant she felt a deep pang of homesickness. A western shower with the water as hot as she could stand it would feel amazing right about now. Sniffling she just sat in Kurama's lap and rested her head against his chest. Wrapped in his arms, she felt safe.

She could hear the steady beat of his heart. It calmed her, relaxed her in a way she thought her shower would have. Feeling safe she was able to think back to the events that transpired earlier. Kurama's silence allowed her to go over things at her own pace and not face parts until she was ready. Her shelter shifted a bit and rested his head on hers, still not saying anything. He just waited and allowed her to think, grateful that she had calmed some.

In his own mind he replayed events from his perspective. The situation he and Sara walked into appeared to be an attempted rape in progress however, that didn't sit well with him. Something was off. The man shouldn't have been able to slip through his fingers. Her small voice pulled him from his thoughts.

"A gem." She shifted, moving to sit next to him and looked at him. "He was looking for a gem. He said I had to have been hiding it, that he couldn't sense it." Green met green as wheels turned in his mind. He could grasp more pieces of the puzzle but at this point they are far too scattered to be put into any picture.

Sara came into the room then, carrying a try. Placed atop were Michelle's battered teapot and the equally beaten cups. Seeing this Michelle giggles before offering Kurama a weak apology for the sorry state of her tea set. It was an odd thing to be apologizing for considering all that has happened this night but she felt the need to say something.

"And, do you know anything about this gem?" he asks, the nagging feeling that he knows something about this gem is eating away at his mind and leaves him with untold amounts of frustration. One thing the man did not like was not being able to recall a bit of information when in need.

"No." her voice wasn't as sure as her answer sounded. Time passed slowly between them and for a few moments she just regarded her tea with troubled eyes.

His hand gently rubbed her back. It was a comforting gesture that did much to soothe her nerves. The silence itself was also comforting in a way. She was thankful for the lack of pressure to address or explain what happened. She felt free to forget it, ignore it if she so wished but knew that the events would forever be a scar in the back of her mind.

"You are going to be okay." His words were soft. She took a deep cleansing breath. He was right, she knew. She would be okay; there wasn't any other option but to be okay. She was safe, with him. No harm was going to come to her. She wasn't going to die.

"Yeah." She leaned her head back against his shoulder. For a moment, she thought about telling him of her attraction to him. She thought of asking him to kiss her. Those thoughts had quickly been discarded however. What silly, needy thoughts they had been.

While she thought of him, he was thinking about demons. While he hated to consider that Hikoku was somehow connected to the mess Koenma had them investigating, the repeated targeting of Michelle by less than human forces.

"My Mama told me once about a gem the fae guarded." It was an offhanded comment made in a voice so small it could have gone unheard.

"Oh?" softly he nudges her with his arm causing her to sway a bit.

She was silent as she tried to pull forth the words to the lullaby that was sung by a kind voice lost to time so many years ago. Kurama offered her a small smile of his own at the warm regard she seemed to hold for her mother as he desperately grasped at any clues he could find.

Her soft voice spoke of small winged women who speak to trees and sing the songs of the wind. She tells of creatures who are one with nature and thus as pure as the earth. He smiles as she tells him how the sway of these women's hips powers the tides. As Michelle's voice trailed off on the finale note, silence again took over the room

They sat in that silence as they finished their tea. Michelle was more and more sure that Hikoku wasn't after her as a woman. This was something Kurama agreed with, though Sara couldn't move past the image of her boyfriend between Michelle's legs or see the events of the night in any other light.

What Sara found most troubling though, was the fact that she couldn't recall why she cared so much about the man. The reason she was moved to desperately please him in all ways was lost to her. Try as much as she could, the reasons she was attracted to the man, the ways he had charmed her, where all lost to her.

Unknown to Sara, in another world Hikoku materialized from a mass of smoke, kneeling in front of a cloaked figure.

"You failed us." The larger man stated flatly. Two other figures nod their agreement.

The gentle rustle of leaves and a light thud were his only warning. The final image his brain would receive before his eyes went dark to the world forever was of the one named after the moon, Tsuki. It wasn't planned, but his failure was a crime worth his death in her eyes as she slides from the tree branch behind him.

Upon landing her robe fanned out around her, revealing long milky white legs. The only thing hiding where her legs met was her knees, raised up to her chest in a crouched landing. Her skin was a white no human could match, not even in death. Kai drank up the tantalizing view, ignoring the arousal that was building for now. Later he would find a female to lie with and find his release.

In a swift motion Tsuki pushed forth her energy, dense and sharp as any blade. As Hikoku's eyes widened, finding her behind him, his head fell from his shoulders. The body fell to the ground in a heap. These were the only sounds in the small clearing.

The moon goddess stood in a fluid motion of pure perfection that any women would have died to have been able to emulate. She turned on her heel and left, robe and blonde waves flowing behind her.

After seeing that Michelle was safely off to sleep, Kurama bade Sara goodnight and left with a promise to check in on Michelle in the morning. Rather than going home however, he went to search out answers in any world they may lie in. He could look forward to a busy night.

Meanwhile, in a seemingly whole other world two boys who had seen horrors beyond what their years should allow were arguing over the latest American Comic, provided by Michelle to help encourage them to study English. The cover had bold print announcing the latest adventure of "Captain Brainiack" in his never ending quest to stomp out ignorance and misinformation.

"Give it to me" Kuwabara yelled as he jumped at Yusuke, attempting to snack the comic from his hands.

"Hell no!" Yusuke jumps up onto the bed, dodging Kuwabara. "I'm reading it first! You take forever!"

The group enjoyed the comedy series for the insight into stupid moments in the lives of seemingly average Americans and the simple ways the "stupid is fixed" in the words of Michelle. This latest issue, if they boys would stop fighting long enough to read it, would go over the misfortunes of a receptionist at a firm having to provide a fee quote for services, via phone, to a loan officer on the other end. The loan officer needs everything repeated multiple times as if she could not retain information for five seconds. This causes our receptionist to stab her pen repeatedly into the gel wrist pad on her desk as she gives the information a second and then a third time.

The Captain's solution? Having the troublesome woman write things down the first time she is told the quote. Much of what made the jokes funny was that the series pulled stories from everyday Americans and their battles against 'stupidity' on a daily basis.

All in all, this feels like a different world.

All the while, Kurama walks down the streets alone, leaving both worlds behind. He spends most of his night many places, surrounded by books. In the mounds of leather and paper he is digging for that spark which would cause all the pieces of his puzzle to fall into place. It seems to be an elusive spark however and nothing seems to fit for much of the night.

As the clock strikes midnight he lets out an annoyed growl. Time was moving too fast and his answers slipped through his fingers yet again. Currently he is holed up in a library in spirit world and he is frustrated, something the friends he has made in his human life wouldn't believe possible. The humans hold onto the idea of him in this human shell, bound by human nature and seemingly impossible to ruffle. He does little to correct this.

Leaning back in his chair he nibbles at his thumb nail. His eyes make a sweep over the books, stacked in haphazard piles before moving along the shelves. Green eyes lock onto one word written on an unassuming worn leather binding. It is faded, the gilding long worn away. The word can hardly be made out with its highly stylized font but here, in this overly bright room at midnight the word screams through his mind as he makes his way to the shelf.

As he grasps the book it's as if he has gotten ahold of that magic piece. As he reads through the book hours pass with little notice and even less care. Much of the material comes back to him from stories his own demon mother, thousands of years long past would tell him. Stories of the human realm and the creatures that live in it float through his mind. Creatures he had written off as myth, never once in all his years in the human world had he caught even a glimpse of them.

He reads of the creatures, not quite mortal that went by many names and drank up offerings of honey and wine in the darkest hours. Flitting beings of trickery who had once maybe been mortal and human but have since been caught somewhere in between. Creatures of joy and volatile emotions that were said to possess great amounts of power but cared not to use it. It was said that these creatures ruled the living realm of the earth, a holy balance to the demon taint of his own world, long before the spirit world attempted to govern all worlds.

After finishing with this book he discards it, along with all the others and leaves the room. He already gained what he could from its pages. He didn't spare a second to look back at the stacks of paper and leather. If he did, he would have seen a golden word as if they had just been gilded shining back at him with an unnatural radiance.

Elemental.

* * *

_So? Now that I'm at the meat of the story I'm much more curious what everyone thinks. In the coming chapters we get to know the baddies some but first, we go back to school! We will be spending less and less time with the girl's work as things move forward- doesn't that always seem to be the case though? As the supernatural come into life, we spend less time caring about the mundane._


	18. School Yard Scuff (17)

_Konnichiwa! Genki desu ka?  
_

_So! I have had this chapter ready to post for a week or so now. Please don't hurt me, I had a reason for the delay! I went through much of the past chapters and revised, edited and made some changes. I would recommend a fast skim though, at the top of each chapter is the date it was revised and a note of how extensive the changes are. I think only one or two chapters really have enough changes to be worth reading and nothing you can't continue on the story without having read. Just minor changes to fix the flow and highlight some details, flush out a part of Michelle's personality I had otherwise been shying away from and added dialog in places. _

_Chapter 18 is with the amazing dumbrat for editing and will be posted as soon as I get time to make the changes after she gets it back to me. I have 19 written and half of 20 written. _

_Summer is here and for whatever reason I always sell a lot of my jewelry in the summer so that is slowing things down, but please, order gods, keep em coming! _

* * *

Michelle didn't really care to talk about the night before with Sara. That was something that pleased Sara just fine. She left Michelle to herself most of the morning while she fussed and fidgeted over a simple breakfast. While part of Sara wanted to hide from what she believed happened the night prior another part of her ached for her dear friend. Michelle made it easy on the girl by spending the morning isolated in her room.

On the other side of Tokyo a group of young men who had seen more than their years should allow gathered in a small apartment while the bright morning sun shined in through the window, seemingly ignorant of the seriousness of the topic of their discussion. The youngest of the men seemed to be having a hard time wrapping their heads around the information provided to them by the redheaded man.

"You mean like fairies?" the tallest stated dumbly.

"In a way. They are the source of such myths. However, in much the same way that demons are not the agents of evil myths would have us be," a snicker from the same boy is met with a stern look "the Elementals were not as myths play them to be." Kurama finishes.

"So, what the hell are they then?" Urameshi's frustration is clear in his voice. He is not one for riddles and yet the world insists on presenting them to him.

"They are Semi-mortal sprits that are the embodiment of the elements; one, many or all. It is said once their mortal bodies die, their spirits become the very force behind the elements." At this point, Kurama was conducting more of a lecture. "Each creature was said to be female and possessed a gem housing their very soul in their hand at birth. It is said that their gem also holds their power and so if one could obtain a gem they could then control and obtain the woman."

"Why are they looking for her here?" Yusuke asks. It was a valid question when seemingly nothing ｂeyond what humans already are aware of left in their world. Everything exciting has always been housed in the spirit world or in that of the demons.

"They are believed to be the opposite of the demon. It is said they are a holy creature who's kiss granted miko their power." With a sigh he admits, "A lot is said, a lot is believed but little is actually known. At this time I have only located one record that appears to hold firsthand accounts of this creature." He left unsaid that assuming this to be true requires more assumption that the records of this creature may have been purged by Spirit World.

"Then she's an Elemental?" Kuwabara asks. "I mean, wouldn't it explain her healing your mom?"

Kurama was silent for a moment. "No. I don't believe so at this point. At the very least, she seems to not have a gem that I nor her attacker have located." He paused slightly, considering the possibilities he has discounted as well as how much he wished to share. "Healing could be granted by a high level of uncontrolled energy, much like your own." His comment was directed to the humans in the group. He couldn't explain the healing, or the lack of a gem.

Silence fills the room for a moment that stretches on far longer than in all reality it was. It was Yusuke that spoke next.

"Then, why did they think she had a gem? Why do they want the gem?" his voice reflected his frustration with the sheer lack of information.

"That I do believe to know." All eyes returned to Kurama. "Kuro was a small clan during my time in Makai. Their goal was to purify this world of the human scourge."

"So the normal take out the humans gig." Yusuke interrupted, annoyed to be dealing with this yet again.

"Actually, not exactly. They see the human realm as the most holy land, defiled by the human infestation. They believe if they purify the human realm they will obtain their holy land. To purify the earth they must utilize the elements that rule the realm. All humans who don't believe as they do however would probably be killed."

"Wait. So this is some religious campaign?!" Kuwabara's voice boomed. It seemed crazy to him.

"I believe that is exactly what this is, yes." Kurama's voice was steady as he folded his hands allowed them to rest on the table.

When Michelle ventured out of her room it was mainly due to the never ending work of an educator. Personal crisis be damned, she would not let the education of her students suffer as a result. As she entered into the living area she was greeted by a teary eyed Sara. The girls spend a moment just looking at each other before they share a hug. No words needed saying in that moment. Silence filled the room and raw emotions flowed freely.

The breaking of Sara's heart was deafening as she finally allowed herself to moun her relationship with Hikoku. Her embrace conveyed the desperate sorrow caused by his actions and her own. Michelle's in return offered acceptance and tender forgiveness. In the past weeks an untold amount of damage had been done to their friendship and through this one act, this one simple embrace it was all undone. In this moment, for no one to see, they proved their bond was one stronger than any family ties.

This moment seemed to have lasted for an eternity and yet, in a few heartbeats it was over as the girls separated. Sara proclaimed that it was to be pancakes for lunch. Why? The gods couldn't even begin to say. Michelle did her best to help fix the meal in the small kitchen space they shared. Normally this would be met with bickering and swatting at each other as one invaded the other's space. Today it was peaceful, though still somewhat cramped.

After eating the girls settle into creating the next week's lesson plan. Michelle however works in spurts, spending short periods of time gazing out the glass door while tapping something hard hidden in her hand onto the table.

"You brought that old thing out?" Sara nods toward Michelle's hand. The redhead just sighs and drops the item onto the table. Her arms reach out into the air above her head as she stretches her tired muscles before looking down at the object.

On the table sat a river stone, roughly oval shaped. It was just small and thin enough to fit into the palm of her hand. The edges, once sharp long ago when Michelle was just a small girl, have been worn down and smoothed from the constant rubbing of her fingers over its surface during times of stress. Her mother called it her 'worry stone' as Michelle would always fiddle with it when she had something on her mind.

It was so long ago now; Michelle can't clearly recall where she picked the thing up or why it had caught her eye. It wasn't particularly pretty nor did she have a habit of collecting stones. She assumed it had to have come from some river or stream she played in at some point. Sometimes the little stone would be lost for weeks or months, seemingly gone in the way that so many trinkets disappear into the flow of time. The stone always resurfaced when Michelle was under a lot of stress.

"Found it in my pocket." Michelle just shrugs it off. She didn't remember packing it but she hasn't worn these cargo pants since coming to Japan. The stone must have been left in the pocket, she reasoned. They spent their day inside, chatting and preparing for the week.

Michelle's lessons for the week focused on stories and myths of both western and eastern origin. Her students all seemed to enjoy comparing and contrasting the different beliefs behind concepts that translated the same but actually mean different things, such as demons. The younger classes spent much of their time talking about the Fae. Older classes enjoyed the topic of demons and spirits. Yusuke and Kuwabara stayed silent through the lessons for the week. Michelle expected it, being a topic they had firsthand knowledge about.

Friday came quickly and Michelle was pleased to have seen Yusuke most of the week. Michelle sent Sara home ahead of her. While Michelle and Sara's friendship was on the mend, she didn't want to miss out on her one on one time with the most frustrating of her students. She made her way up onto the roof and unpacked her snacks and a thermos of tea.

Nibbling on a brownie as she graded some papers, her mind wandered a bit. Third brownie down she had to reminder herself that if she continued she would go up a pant size. She picked up a fourth brownie as Yusuke sat down across from her, causing her to grin at him.

"They're good." She pushes the brownies in his direction, partially to try and stop herself from eating another of the offending fattening creations. "Made them myself last night." Another brownie eaten.

"You are going to get fat, eating all those." He said as he ate one himself.

Michelle just laughs and leans back, pinching her belly. "All women get old and fat," She jokes "may as well enjoy it!"

Yusuke was a little taken back by her. She was his teacher. She is older than him. He is aware of these things but often find himself forgetting and seeing her as just another friend.

"Your grade was better on this last worksheet!" Michelle announced in a singsong voice, presenting him with the paper she just graded. "Told you! I told you that you could do it!"

They spend their time joking, talking and studying. Their peaceful time was interrupted by a shrill scream from below. They both jumped up and ran to the edge of the roof, hoping to see what was going on.

A female student was fighting off two large men and a male student. They pulled and grabbed at her clothes.

"Stay here!" Yusuke commands over his shoulder as he races for the door.

"Not on your life!" Michelle tosses back, hot on his heels as they fly down flight after flight of stairs. Together they burst through the doors and into the courtyard.

"Stay behind me and don't get in my way." He orders again, much to Michelle's annoyance. Her student ordering her around!? And at school no less?! The nerve!

"My school, my students, my job." Michelle stands next to him not behind, infuriating woman that she is. "Hey Dickbags, leave her alone!" Michelle draws the attention of the men as the girl's shirt rips under their hands.

She may not have been in a position to defend herself from Hikoku when she was surprised and backed into a corner but she was prepared to fight now. In her heart she felt, wrongly, that she had to make up for the weakness and helplessness she felt, trapped on the floor under him. In a way, she felt that this was her chance to redeem herself, though she didn't have time to analyze such thoughts. In the end, she just wanted to help her student, who was in an all too familiar situation.

"Pick on someone your own size!" Yusuke yells as he rushes in, delivering a punch to the face of the largest man.

Common sense would allow that the other males would come to the aid of their friend in crime, leaving the girl forgotten as the three try to take Yusuke out. Then they could return to their tormenting of the girl. One would expect that at least one would go to his aid. This is not what happened.

While Yusuke knees the first man in the gut he is left unchallenged. The student and man free the girl of the remainder of her shit, ignoring the fighting. Yusuke, realizing that he must distract all three of them now, kicks the other man in the chest. The sound of ribs cracking fills the air.

Michelle was confused as to why this was happening. Before her she saw two men wearing respectable business suits and a student who has always seemed to be a kind hearted gentleman attempting to free a female student from her clothes.

A second after Yusuke left her side she began looking for something to use as a weapon, knowing that she had little physical strength compared to the men. As Yusuke dealt with the men wearing suits Michelle grabbed a large stick, closer to a branch that had fallen from a nearby tree.

Another scream grabs her attention. The boy now has the girl pinned to the ground, freed from her uniform top and her skirt pushed up around her legs as she struggled. This all seemed so crazy to Michelle. As she rushed forward she watched as the boy unbuckled his belt. The girl's wrists bruised under his hands. She trashed and kicked however he was fairly safe from her struggles from his place between her legs. Michelle watched as he reached into his pants to free himself.

It was in that last moment that the branch came down on the boy's back with a sickening crack. The end of the branch broke off, flew and hit a suited man in the head. A small part of her brain registered that she couldn't pull that off again if she tried. Her mind was then completely occupied by the boy releasing the girl and standing up.

It was then that she saw the blank look in his eyes. It was a look she knew far too well. She saw the very same look in the eyes of the man that attacked her in the ally, seemingly forever ago. She held her stick out in front of her like a sword.

"Leave her alone!" Her voice was low, her command nearly growled out in a way that would have made any demon proud. In a way, she felt as if she was facing off with Hikoku again. It was strangely therapeutic.

As he advanced on her, Yusuke was able to knock the last man out. As imps began struggling to free themselves from the bodies he rushed to Michelle's aid only to be too late.

Michelle sent the stick sailing through the air to collide with the male's head when he attempted to grab at her. He fell limply to the ground in a pile that would have almost been comical, with his pants around his upper legs.

Yusuke turned to deal with the two imps only to find them gone. Not wanting to miss the third he quickly turned and killed it with a single shot. It turned to a dust and blew away. The girl had long ago taken her chance to run away.

"The fuck is going on?!" Michelle growled at Yusuke in less than proper English. This was not the world she signed up for. She signed up for chibi dolls, neighborhood mascots and crazy street fashions. She expected and accepted random pop groups and an obsession with everything cute. She did NOT sign up for imps making men attempt to rape schoolgirls.

As they walked away from the bodies, Michelle with her hands in her pockets, he explained more of what they knew to be going on. Imps that take residence in human bodies are a part of a dark plan to weaken humanity while Kuro, a fairly unknown demon clan looks for a way to turn the very earth against humans and wipe them out. Yusuke told her everything he knew was certain, feeling it better her know more than less as this issue insists on colliding with her life.

All the while, Michelle's fingers played over the surface of the stone she didn't remember grabbing yet seemed to always find in her hand.

* * *

_So? Hope you liked it. I keep wanting to back down form the more mature bits but I really think this was needed to balance what happened with Hikoku, ya know? She needed rescuing and so today, she got to do the rescuing in a situation that was in many ways similar. _

_Please let me know your thoughts and if any of you have requests on things you would like to see in this story. While some basic plot points are very set out, much is still up in the air. _


	19. Moon in the Darkness (18)

_Hello!_

_I hope to find everyone is well tonight? I actually really love this chapter and really, the rest of what I have written for you guys so far. I am however sad to see the story racing to the end much sooner than I expected but it has taken on a life that is all its own. I would love to hear what you all think of the Kuro clan as we get to see them for a good chunk of this chapter._

_kioshi- I'm not saying nothin ^.~_

_Melody- Thank you for the kind words. _

_I hope to hear from you both and others after this chapter!_

_Until next time, _

_Kitsune_

* * *

Imps hide in the corner of the dark room as figures argued over their fate as well as their continued place in the plans of the Kuro clan.

"I say we kill them and be done with it." The short female calmly states as if commenting on the weather. Her hood is pulled back, revealing jet black hair and matching eyes set on a tan face. Anyone would take the female as a child however she has seen more years than many humans. "They are just getting killed off anyway, useless things."

Tsuki sits on a rafter beam above the others. The rhythmic clicking of her heels against the beam is the only input she offers to the debate below. She couldn't care less about the imps. In her hand she holds her viewing mirror, a simple enchanted object that allows her to peek in on her beloved for short periods of time.

She often checked on him during the weekend and was dismayed to find him going to that redheaded vixen's side as Hikoku was hunting for the gem. His reaction and defense of the woman left Tsuki in a blind rage that caused the others to question her motives.

Again she pulled the pendant out, tipped with what was said to be the last surviving shard of an Elemental's gem. Using its power she called into the mirror to bring forth an image when the tip of the pendent touched the glass. She simply used the power of the gem to call forth an image of another gem and it always gave her this girl. Like summoning like.

His failure was not one that ordinarily would have sentenced him to death. His death came as a result of Tsuki lashing out after watching her Kurama comfort that vile woman. It hardly soothed her rage to take Hikoku's head from his shoulders.

After watching again as the woman slept in her bed, Tsuki slams the mirror closed and slides off the beam in a fluid move.

"They need not die, yet." Her silky voice called out, dragging all eyes to her.

"And why the hell not?" The larger man demanded. He had been arguing the pointlessness of the imps.

"Yes, pray tell?" The small woman's voice, much like her frame, seemed to be that of a child. Kai just watched on with curious eyes. Wheels turned in his mind, though none of his thoughts would be voiced.

"Obtain the woman. Force her to tell us where she hides the gem." Tsuki's voice was as smooth as ever. The fire in her eyes told all that she was sure of what she had to say. Kai had an inkling that it had more to do with that damned fox than the search for the gem of an Elemental.

Rather than listen to the debate he thought over their plans yet again.

When he and Tsuki joined this group they had amassed a good deal of resources however lacked the ability to identify a direction to move in. The goal of the Kuro clan had always remained steady. They wished to obtain the very power of the earth to cleanse the human realm of the poison that is the human race.

Both he and Tsuki kept the fact that they didn't subscribe to the groups religious beliefs unsaid. It had been rumored that those that didn't believe as they did would die in a slow and painful fashion. With what Tsuki had to offer they could feel reasonably safe, however one can't be too sure.

Tsuki offered something the group never had before; a way to harness the very powers of the earth without corrupting it. Tsuki was a rare breed of demon that few had seen before. If asked, in a little she claims a lineage of ice demon on her father's side. It was he who raised her up with stories of her mother.

True or not, Kai couldn't say however Tsuki claimed to be the daughter of the very moon in the sky. As daughter of demon and goddess she claimed amazing beauty and little else. Having no real power of her own, she heavily relied on trinkets in battle.

In her collection of such trinkets she accumulated over the many years she roamed the realm was the most curious crystal tipped pendent. A small shard of crystal radiated a small amount of pure power. The power itself felt so different than anything in this realm. An undercurrent of the power could be felt in the growing of the plants and the changing of the seasons however; everything in this realm was tainted by the dark demon energies.

This power was too pure for that. In his mind as well as the rest of the Kuro clan's minds, this power could only be just an inkling of the pure power of the elements in the human realm. Tsuki was able to offer this shard up as a gift and pair it with a cursed viewing mirror in an effort to find a greater source of this power.

This mirror was an object she had chased for some time. It would allow any to see what they believed belonged to them. She wished to use it to see that damned fox, Yoko. It was an added bonus when their best lead on another source of the Soul crystal, also referred to as the Gem of an Elemental was the very same girl her Yoko seemed to be developing an attachment too. Two birds with one stone, in her mind.

Kai was always put into a mood when she would sit, looking at him. That damned fox wasn't the one that helped her when she was injured, he never welcomed her to his side, never treasured her. No, it was Kai that held her close. It was Kai that loved her. Yet she could only love Yoko for as long as he lived. Kai would see to it that his competition for Tsuki's heart was removed if the chance ever presented itself.

His thoughts returned to the present events as Suri and Maki argued more over the best plan of action. Kai had to admit, it was hard to decide what direction to move in when they couldn't even further verify that the human woman was Elemental when no Gem had been located and with the exception of the one event, no traces of power could be detected from her. He sighed and watched as Tsuki again explained why she believed the Gem couldn't be located.

"She may not be a fully realized Elemental." Curious concept indeed. "She has to be one. I saw the power when she healed. I felt it, even through the mirror. It was the same. "In her fist she clutched the leather cord tight in her fist. The pointed crystal dangled from the end, swinging gently. "We will obtain the girl, and then I will have what I want." With that she turned, ever so flawlessly and stormed out of the dark room. Blonde hair flows out behind her as her heels click against the stone.

"How dare she!" The largest man roars as he stomps around the room. "What the fuck does she know?! Do we even know that her damned crystal is real?!"

The hood fell from his head revealing a square face and oily brown hair. All of his features were sharp and angular. On a younger man this could have been slightly pleasing to the eye but in the height of middle age, the sharp lines are deep set and tired in appearance. One could easily enough imagine a world where this man was human, a business man who hated his life. He would be the man who would drink away his life.

However, in reality this man was once a great fighter before falling into the Kuro folds. He was a lead strategist for one of the most powerful demons in the realm. He, like Hikoku, was a smoke demon. In his younger years his most remarkable ability was to change his very states from solid to smoke and slip through an enemies' defenses.

"Just fetch the girl." Suri's voice had much the same qualities that a defiant child's would have telling their mother to 'just get the juice'. It was a bored tone, very matter of fact. Her small stature and childlike features made her easy to discount.

"It wouldn't be too hard for you, Maki." Kai chimed in.

"Once she is retrieved, we can begin to test Tsuki's theories." Suri turned her back to the group and began to walk out. "If Tsuki is wrong, we learn that her alliances are not with us," The sound of heels clicking stops and Suri's voice drops dangerously low as she turns to lock eyes with Kai over her shoulder. "and we kill both women."

Kai deeply regretted allowing the woman he loved get them tangled with the Kuro clan in that moment.


	20. Afternoon into Evening (19)

_My. My my my. Some more time with the baddies. Then some time with our group of friends. I'm estimating that this story will have another ten to fifteen chapters. For now, READ! Imma ditch this party and take mah baby to the fair! Cuz, toddlers at a fair is a good idea..._

_Now for reviews! Guest, I know the chapter was short. I hope the quickish update makes up for it.  
_

_KioshiUshima, hello again! Yeah, Tsuki has issues. Like you have no idea! I actually really really love Kai a lot. I didn't mean to love him or for him to come out as he did. Kai goes through a lot and we see much more of him in later chapters as well as early in this chapter. Friendzone? I wouldn't say that so much as he isn't getting Tsuki's heart out of their relationship, just her body in exchange for his heart. Poor guy just keeps trying to earn the woman's heart. _

-19—

* * *

With a grunt a tan arm swats back a branch in his way. The force behind the action was enough to splinter the branch and leave it hanging. Blue eyes burned with a fury that was out of place in the quiet of the forest. Kai was following Tsuki's scent absentmindedly while trying to conceive a way to talk her into abandoning Kuro. After a few more steps the forest suddenly gave way to a hot spring. Tsuki's scent mixed with the steam and mist in a way that a water demon's scent only could. The results were intoxicating.

Drawing closer he could spot the goddess in the water. Her milky skin and pale blonde hair shimmered with water. The only light came from the moon and stars. She looked like she could be all she claimed in that moment. In the darkness, standing in the middle of the pool, she could very well fool any man into believing her.

Kai would never say it aloud however he never actually did believe her when she said she was the daughter of the moon goddess. A theory of his was that it was a story her father came up with to explain away the absent mother. It was rare for a male to raise a child alone. If anything, it was most common to find the females alone with children, their men having died in battle or ran off to chase another female. Few breeds of demon believed in mating for life and even among those that did, actually doing so was rare.

It didn't matter to Kai who or what Tsuki's mother was. All he could sense from her was water demon however he loved her just the same. Wolves mate for life, and he would gladly give her his life if she would but only accept the offer.

"Hey." His voice was sweet and warm, lacking the deep undertones that some males' voices carried as well as the gravelly sound of age. He sat down in a flop, long arms behind him and his lanky legs dangling into the water.

"Kai," She turned to him as if just noticing him. He knew she had been aware of his coming. "join me, won't you?" Her voice was a sweet honey and he couldn't deny her.

He stripped off his clothes and once naked, he entered the waters. His body was toned, firm and tanned. Absent from much of his flesh was the scars that most demons had by maturity from trying to survive. Being the son of the alpha wolf, his pack did the fighting and he rarely saw battle. That was before he met Tsuki and lost his heart.

The waters reached mid abdomen while standing. Once Tsuki stood to begin moving in his direction the waters did nothing to cover her breasts. Her arms reached out to the sides, fingers dipped in the water as she seemed to slither over to him, leaving trails in the water. His eyes had been glued all the while to her pale skin and the movement of her breasts. The waters hid the effect she was already having on him from sight, but he was sure she was already aware.

In a jerky movement he turns from her, ripping his eyes away from the mesmerizing sight.

"We should leave." His voice was strained.

"We could have so much fun in the water though." She was about five feet away.

"I mean, we should leave Kuro." He tilted his head back and looked at the stars. "They will kill you if she's not an elemental, you know. "

"Why would they doubt me?" She was closer now, moving slower.

"They already think you're after her for personal reasons. Maybe your jealously blinds you?"

"I will have what is mine." She was a foot away from his back. "Youko belongs to me." Her hand reached out, fingertips dancing over the muscles of his back. He turns quickly, grabbing her hand in his own. The contrast of her pale skin against his tan always fascinated him.

"Forget about him." He pleaded "I love you, Tsuki." He hated how desperate he sounded. Her free hand and arm snaked up his chest and around his neck, pulling him against her. Kami, he wanted her so badly.

"I know." Her voice was a soft whisper before her lips moved closer to his. A hair away, he could feel them move as she spoke again. "He will regret not marking me his. I will have him."

She crushed her lips against his. Kai was painfully erect and aware of every movement her body made against his own. While fighting for dominance in the kiss, they made their way to the rocks at the edges of the pool. She allowed him to win when he pressed her back into the hard stone. She ground against him, pulling a moan from his lips.

Yes, she would have Youko in due time. For now, Kai would have to do.

* * *

Yusuke and Michelle sat on benches in a park. It was close enough to the school that they could hear the sirens as police made their way to the school but far enough away that they felt removed from the situation. Yusuke had called Kurama and Kuwabara and reported the latest developments. For now, while they waited on the others they sat in silence. Michelle was leaning forward, head in her hands and elbows resting on her knees.

Yusuke was relaxed, leaning back and looking at the clouds as he thought things through. Never in a million years did he think he would be sitting in a park with a teacher, willingly. In some ways it seemed even more unlikely than coming back from the dead. It seems doing the unlikely was something of a trend in his life.

"You clobbered that guy pretty hard with that branch, you know?" His voice was light though he was slightly impressed with the force she had been able to put behind the blow.

Michelle just nodded.

"Then the end breaking off." He laughed as he nudged her with his shoulder, causing her to look up. He crossed his eyes and made a face. She couldn't help but laugh as well. Feeling a little better she sat up some.

"I didn't plan that part." She chuckled a bit of her anxiety away.

"Course not," He laughed as Kurama and Kuwabara walked up to them "No one plans that shit."

"Except Kurama here" He throws his arm over the redheaded man's shoulder and points a thumb at him after standing up.

"Are you alright?" Kurama knees in front of Michelle, visually checking her for injury. Yusuke and Kuwabara glance at each other at his action. Though Kurama was kind hearted and always polite, this was gentler then they expected.

"Yeah." She smiled at him and stood. "Actually, this is the best I have felt all week." Her stomach takes the chance to contribute to the conversation, reminding Michelle with its growl that she hadn't been eating much as she dealt with the emotional leftovers from the previous weekend.

"Guess we better feed you," Yusuke pokes at her belly "before that monster claws its way out and eats us." Michelle blushed a deep red, embarrassed by both the betrayal of her belly and the joke. She was starving however.

As they walked to a nearby restaurant Kuwabara led the way. Yusuke lagged behind a bit, observing the two walking in front of him.

Kurama walked close to Michelle. He kept constant contact with her and guided through her with a hand he rested on her lower back. He talked softly with her, glancing down at her often.

As they walked past a store, Michelle paused at a window to admire a deep green dress. Kuwabara didn't notice the stop right away and kept on walking. Yusuke came up next to her as she tried to imagine how it would look on her.

The deep sweeping neckline would show off more of her cleavage than she was used to, that was for sure. The hemline would fall just around her knees, making up for the lack of modesty in the neckline. The fabric seemed to be light weight and airy. A sheer outer layer was just a little bit looser in the skirt than the opaque green fabric. Michelle would have no reason to wear such a dress.

Warm breath tickled her ear as Kurama spoke, "It would look amazing on you."

Michelle jumped and blushed so hard she expected her nose would bleed. She began moving again, walking faster to catch up to Kuwabara all the while trying desperately to ignore the hand on her back as well as the proximity of the man that it belonged to. Mentally she chanted to herself that he wasn't interested in her, that he didn't like her, that he was too young for her, that he was her student's friend. Any excuse she could come up with to write off the man who had come to her aid so many times before.

Yusuke smirked as he started walking again. 'Maybe she is what Kurama needed', he thought to himself. His friend seemed alive in a way that he hadn't seen outside of battle in a long time. It seemed if no mystery needed solving at that moment, Kurama would become a bored shell while seeming perfectly fine to most everyone.

It was something Yusuke could understand. Human life could get boring. Maybe that's why he was always reluctant to let go of being the hero whenever times of peace came. He hoped his friend knew what he was doing. Michelle was too nice to get hurt.

Kurama was very aware of how uncomfortable Michelle had been through the entire walk. Having the power to fluster her with a few movements, to cause a blush to dust her cheeks with a few words; it was a thrill he had long ago forgotten.

On one hand he knew he was playing a game he had no business playing- he was a demon, he couldn't even be sure he could love a human female in the same way a human male could or that he could give her the life a human female would want. In that moment he remembered the long list of female demons who had graced his bed before grew tired of that game, centuries ago. No, in his life as Youko he never could commit to any one female for a long period of time and it wasn't expected of him.

Balanced on the other hand was the fact that rediscovering this game, discovering a female who he craved to chase, one who didn't readily give in and beg for him trilled the most primal parts of his demonic nature. It intrigued him that she played dumb to his actions.

All the while he ignored the fact that he already considered her his, at least for the time being. In the back of his mind the need to protect what belonged to him was always present through the week. He needed to balance his needs and his game with not taking advantage of, using or leading Michelle on to believe he could offer a human love. He was aware that he was torturing himself and for a moment, he wished he was a lesser demon, one who could take what they wanted regardless of the consequences without analyzing every possibility first.

Once they reach the restaurant Michelle leaves the boys at the table and escapes to the ladies room. Inside she washes her face before gazing into the mirror. She wills herself to believe that Kurama is acting as he always has, considerate and courteous. It was her emotions and feelings about him that is causing her to feel like something changed. Yes, that had to be it.

As Michelle mentally lectures herself in the bathroom, the men took seats. Kurama made sure that the open chair was to his right for Michelle. For a moment, Yusuke just watched his redheaded friend intently.

"So, what's new?" Yusuke asked casually

"You are aware of all new developments on my end in regard to the case." Kurama was playing dumb.

"I don't mean the case." Yusuke rested his arms on the table. Kurama just sighed. "You're interested in her." It was meant to be a question however came out more as a statement.

"It appears that she and I share an attraction. That is all." Kurama's reply was cool. Yusuke still had much to learn about the inner workings of demon relationships.

"Who?" Kuwabara asked dumbly only to receive a slap from Yusuke.

"Michelle!" Yusuke yelled at him as his eyes got large.

"No way." The carrot top whispered. "I haven't seen you interested in a girl before."

"None of us have!"

"Have what?" Michelle asked as she joined them at the table.

"Have had the milkshakes here." Kurama provided quickly, smiling as he stood and pulled out Michelle's chair for her. Michelle blushed at the action, something she felt was more fitting for a date than a group of friends and students.

"Let's get some!" Kuwabara announced.

"Oh no," Michelle raised her hands up in defense "I couldn't possibly eat and drink a milkshake. That's far too much!" She didn't want to look like a pig, though she probably could finish a dinner and milkshake if she tried.

"We'll share then. Whatever flavor you like." Kurama's words nearly caused Michelle to slam her face into the table. She wasn't sure she wanted the conversation to go, but that was not it.

As the afternoon passed into evening and then night, the group of friends enjoyed a night out of walking, talking and exploring. Michelle hadn't really taken the time to explore the city that was now her home though she had been in Japan for around a month or so now. Yusuke wanted her to meet his master and mentor and so they made the long trip out to her temple.

In many ways it was fairly standard and basic for a temple; however it seemed to have long ago been phased away from its purpose as a place of worship to be converted into a home and something more akin to a dojo. The atmosphere and style of the building stayed the same. Red woods and shoji doors were standard as well as tatami flooring in most areas.

When Michelle worried about the distance away from her home they had traveled as well as getting back that night, Yusuke volunteered use of the spare bedrooms in the temple. He was sure that his Master wouldn't mind… too much. Kurama agreed, they probably wouldn't be able to make the last train back.

Before long, she was tucked away in a room to sleep on a spare futon. Sleep however, did not come easy to Michelle. She tossed. She turned. She counted sheep. She paced the room. Finally she gave up and slipped out into the night. It was near dawn, giving her a hint that though she didn't feel in the slightest bit rested and had no recollection of sleeping, at some point she must have dozed off.

He watched her as she walked out into the garden barefooted, from his own room. She looked like she could belong in the past, clothed in the simple sleeping yakata Genkai provided her. Her loose hair fell in waves. The slow pace of her movements and the subtle breeze teamed up to add the final touches. The resulting picture before him was of a classic Japanese beauty with an exotic twist that he couldn't look away from.

Feeling eyes on her back she turned and saw him watching. In her eyes he was a sight. Light skin and dark red hair complimented each other in the contrast. She wasn't surprised to see he wasn't wearing a shirt; most of the men she had known did not sleep in shirts. Seeing the firm body that normally is hidden caused her to blush and look away.

Kurama gracefully climbed out his window and joined her in the garden. At first, they just enjoyed the silence as they walked. Every so often Michelle would sniff at a flowering bush or run her fingers over leaves. Whenever something would catch her eye, Kurama would provide the common name for the plant. Slowly they made their way to the forest's edge.

"You really know plants, huh?" She absentmindedly asked.

"They are a bit of a hobby of mine, you could say." She just nodded.

For a moment the silence stretched on. Kurama thought back on his past actions around her. He had noticed something about her caused a rise in his less than human traits. Part of him regretted his mild tormenting earlier.

"I just," Michelle paused, flustered. She was annoyed at being made to feel like a schoolgirl by a man who was hardly past being a schoolboy himself.

"Just? Relax. If you wish it, I will leave you be." His voice was gentle.

"I just don't understand." She felt dumb once the words left her mouth. She did understand many things, just not the reasoning behind the actions.

Kurama was silent for a moment as he leaned his back against a tree. He contemplated what to tell her, how much to say and how honest to be. The truthful answer would take explaining and was much less than the romantic fairy tale human women tend to swoon over

* * *

_So... I never really thought I would be the type to ask for or want reviews, but I would really like to know what everyone thinks. Though the next five chapters are already written as they are not posted I am going back and touching up on them. _


	21. Sweet moments (20)

To anyone looking in on the scene it may have been a romantic sight. Young secret lovers meeting before the morning sun chased their feelings underground. Perhaps this was in some ways an accurate assessment of the situation. The two standing at the edge of the forest may not have agreed if someone had asked them.

The glow of the sun was just beginning to make itself known over the horizon. The world around the figures was bathed in shadows allowing Michelle to feel isolated while still actually being fairly near the building. She felt as if they had privacy- not that she could imagine that anyone would be awake at this hour.

Except her.

And Him.

He rested his back against the tree, seeming to not mind the bark against his skin. It was a large mature tree with a trunk so thick that she couldn't even begin to warp her arms around it if she tried. It was the largest on the edge of the forest. Michelle imagined that it was used as a landmark. 'Clear everything from this point forward!' she could almost hear a man in a hardhat saying in the distant past before the temple graced the land.

"You are not dumb." He stated simply, watching her closely.

"No, I guess not…" her voice trailed off. She stood close to him, within arm's reach. The wind was softly blowing, causing stray locks of hair to dance in front of her face. She forgot how long her hair had gotten and made a mental note to trim it as she tucked it behind her ears, only to have it blow away again.

"I am drawn to you, I have made it obvious." His hand reaches out to catch some of her hair. As he moves to bring it to his nose, she is pulled closer to him, yet that was not his intention. She doesn't even remember moving her feet.

"Why?" her question was hardly more than a breath as a light blush stained her cheeks.

_Well hello again my friends! Hello to the new followers, you know who you are! _

_Ladyellesmere, I have more for you!_

_KioshiUshima, Hello again! Your review sent me over the moon. Dumbrat had to suffer through me not writing anything for months while I wrestled with how to write Kurama forever. I had such a hard time meshing how I viewed him, how I felt he would fall for a woman and his views on his past. On the other hand, I am still very unsure of myself, my writing and the quality of my work. I very much want people to love my writing and my story. I worried that if I didn't write him how the love struck teenagers (no offence to any teenagers...) see him, as perfect, seeing everything has a human would and always warm that no one would like the story. _

But I don't see him as perfect. He has a past that he isn't necessarily proud of. He isn't human. He isn't always warm and fuzzy. He isn't the perfect man, in the end he is just a man.

* * *

"I enjoy causing you to blush, flustering you. I enjoy the game." His eyes sparkled in the dark, seemingly lit from within. Michelle couldn't look away. It was the one thing that could give away his demon nature. No human soul could light up eyes like that, she was sure of it.

"Not what I asked." Her voice was sharp in a playful way. In a fluid movement she leaned next to him, arms only an inch apart. She could feel the warmth from his skin. It felt inviting. He felt inviting, yet dangerous in ways she couldn't even imagine.

"I am aware of what you asked." The scent of moonflowers lingered in his nose. Her hair was soft. "You are unique. Your weakness. Your strength. I cannot say. You have gotten under my skin and I can't seem to shake you."

"Is that a bad thing?" Her voice was soft and meek. With a small shift of his body he turned to look at her, giving her more of his direct attention.

"For you, it could be." Her eyes dragged themselves up from the ground. She took in his bare feet, black pants that looked to be made of silk, abdomen and chest before locking back on his eyes.

"How?"

"I am a demon." His eyes returned to the stars. "My life in this human shell… it has taught me a lot over the years, but it does not change what I am."

"And what? You can't care for a lowly human." She laughed. It was a brittle sound, as if he moved to fast it would shatter. He wondered if a human heart would shatter as easily as that sound.

"No. Yes." He sighed before looking at her. Why did things seem so damn complicated right now? He was used to having clear answers. "Not like a human man could."

She nudged him with her shoulder and gave him a smile. "Maybe that's okay?"

Suddenly he was keenly aware of how close she was to him. If he pounced on her, she would have nowhere to go, not even time to flee. The breeze carried her hair toward his face and along with it that delicate scent. It was brighter now that the sun started to peek over the horizon; however they were still caught in the land of in between. Night had not yet given up its territory to the morning sun. It was dark enough still that he could seem the moonlight reflected in her eyes. Or perhaps, it was the light of possibilities.

It was a game. He told himself such all the previous day. A mindless distraction. Some excitement to get him through the sometimes boring days. But now, the offer of more hung in the air. He only needed to take it. Did he want it? Gods yes. But he didn't want the responsibility that would come with courting a female, for their protection and wellbeing. Didn't he already saddle himself with those duties?

It was clear to him he had done just that when freed her from Hikoku's grasp. He still remembered the thought he had, alone in the small toilet room- 'mine'. Until a time when he no longer saw her as 'his' he knew that she was already trapped with him. He may as well have her by his side willingly than hide in the shadows preventing other males from taking what was his alone.

Michelle watched as he was lost in his own thoughts. Her question still hung in the air. Her stomach felt like it was tied in knots. With a shaking hand she reached out, fingers just brushing the skin on his shoulder. In a heartbeat gold flaked his eyes and he was in motion.

Her eyes went wide as his palms planted firmly on the tree, trapping her between his strong arms. The speed of his movements and her surprise caused her to pull her hand back but it wasn't enough. Michelle's fingers rest curled gently against his chest. The contact startled her but her surprise and the warmth from her hand only drove him farther.

He remembered what it was like, the feeling of chasing the most delectable prey. The rush of catching her, of finally having her in his hands, it was something he forgot he could feel a long time ago. This however, felt different.

With the females in his past, there always was a game of power. Who was stronger, who would lead. A misstep could end in a knife his back. Courting was a dangerous dance, much like battle. But with this insignificant little human woman, he could lead the dance. He could enjoy it. The only fear he would have would be someone taking his woman from her.

While his mind wandered, he hovered in front of her. He could feel Michelle's hand shaking on his chest but he couldn't pick up the scent of fear. It fascinated him, watching nervousness dance in her eyes. Her breaths came shallow, almost like she was scared to breathe.

Maybe that was true. Michelle wasn't aware of her shallow breaths. She was far too busy being aware of how close Kurama was to her. Her heart beat faster and faster in her chest as with each small breath she took he seemed to move closer.

"You can still turn back." His voice was soft, giving both her and himself a chance to get a grip on their senses. It wasn't too late.

"But do I want to?" Her voice was just a hair above a whisper.

"No." The word had almost no sound. He smirked. The look was subtly devilish, like a fox caught in the hen house.

The moment when their lips met was sweet. His lips felt like silk against hers. For a moment, she questioned if her lips were chapped but the thought was quickly lost. She couldn't seem to keep any thoughts in her head for that matter.

He can feel her arms relax as his arm snakes around to rest in the small of her back. Kurama pulls her to him, wanting to feel more of her. In his mind however, he battles to not lose any more control over his actions. While he has yet to scare his prey off, the possibility that he could still do so remained present in the back of his mind but he wanted more of her.

Ring.

His phone vibrated as the classic sound of the cell phone's ring tone filled the air. He ignored it as he breathed in her scent.

Ring. Ring.

He pulled his lips from hers and rested his forehead on her shoulder as he took a moment to compose himself. When he stood back to his full height and pulled his phone from his pocket, Michelle was treated to the sight of the slight flush to his cheeks. He however, was pleased to see her cheeks flush much darker.

"Yes?" His voice was a bit husky as he skipped the pleasantries. It was a sound Michelle liked. "Ah, hello Mother, good morning." His voice quickly returned back to his normal tone. Michelle was curious if the person on the other end of the line noticed the change.

He was silent while he listened to the voice on the other end of the phone.

"My what?" One eyebrow rose as he looked off into the woods behind Michelle. He still stood painfully close to her however she did let her hands fall from his chest. She can't hear the other end of the conversation however annoyance radiates off him.

"I'll be right home Mother… Yes… Good bye." He hangs up the phone and sighs. While he was angry at being interrupted, it was for the better. Now he must deal with whatever petty girl is at his home feeding his mother stories.

"Is everything alright?" He watches as Michelle looks away shyly and runs her fingers through her hair.

"It seems my girlfriend is at my house." Annoyance was clear in his voice. He watched as sadness took over her face. She sidestepped away from him and slowly put space between them.

"I'm sorry, I didn't realize you had-" He cursed himself as he caught her wrist in his hand, preventing her from retreating. Tears shone in her eyes however she willed them not to fall. She felt stupid.

"I don't." His grip was tight and firm on her wrist. The words he spoke drew her eyes back to his. "I don't have any other woman." She stopped pulling and when her arm hung limply in his hand, he lessened his grip. His hand moved from her wrist to hold her hand gently.

"I don't understand?" She was confused.

"I will see to it. Know that whatever lies this girl speaks, you are the only one I have my eyes on." He gave her lips a soft sweet kiss, now in better control of himself. "I must see to this, I will be in touch."

She nodded and watched as he returned to the house. She could imagine the scene painted in water color, the soft morning light reflecting off of his hair and skin and sparkling off the dewdrops on the grass. Michelle leaned against the tree and pondered over what had just happened.

She couldn't really fathom how dating a demon would be much different, though she could already note possessiveness in his touch. He was five years younger than her in body and so she thought on that as well. It would look odd to some but she had the advantage of looking on the younger side herself.

After slowly collecting her thoughts, Michelle made her way into the temple to find breakfast already made and everyone eating. The sound of idle chatter filled the room. Kurama entered shortly after Michelle started eating.

"I'll be leaving shortly." He announced as his toast popped up from the toaster. "I am needed at home."

The others complain and grumble about the announcement as Michelle sets her empty plate in the sink. As Michelle washes her hands, Kurama makes his way out of the temple. For a moment Michelle considers just letting him go, not really knowing what she is to him, but decides against it. It took a short jog to catch up with him and for a few moments they just walk side by side in silence. Michelle's mind works in overdrive, not sure of anything other than the fact that they shared a kiss.

"I ah…" Words are lost to her. This temple feels like a different world to her. Behind them, Yusuke and the others have gathered on the porch, watching to see what would happen.

"What's the big deal?" Kuwabara mumbled, not sure as to why they would be spying on Michelle and Kurama.

"Shh, I want to see what happens!" Grumbled Yusuke, only to be silenced when Kurama's hand reaches out to snag a portion of Michelle's hair from the breeze. He brings the silky stands to his nose, breathing in her scent before letting them slip from his fingers to be again carried in the wind.

"I'll not be long."

"Wait, what" her voice trails off as she again has to grab at courage. "What are we?" She hated being in the dark, not being sure of where she stands with someone.

"We can be whatever you desire. Know that it is my desire to have you as mine alone." His voice was soft, as was his fingers as they tilted her head up while he spoke. What silenced the spectators however, was Kurama's lips meeting Michelle's in a fleeting kiss.

Then, he was gone, down the stairs and away with inhuman speed. Michelle was left with a slight blush on her face and alone.

Suddenly Yusuke and Kuwabara appeared at her side, seemingly out of nowhere. Each had an arm draped around her shoulders and leaned around to grin at Michelle. Their sudden presence caused her to jump and flinch back from their goofy faces.

"So," Yusuke started, pulling Michelle to start walking down the stairs. "When did that happen?"

"Eh?!" Michelle's blush returned. She tried to school herself; she was too old to care if they saw them talking just now and it had started to work, the blush started to fade from her face.

"Yeah! We saw you two!" Kuwabara was making kissy faces as he spoke.

"So! We had just been talking! That's all!" Michelle yanked out from under their arms and marched down the stairs, mentally chanting to herself 'don't blush'.

"And I saw you earlier, kissing under the tree." Yusuke dealt the death blow.

Michelle missed a step as she turned to glare at them, her face redder than a tomato. From there, it was all over for her. As she attempted to catch herself, her other foot slipped and she fell backward. Thankfully they had made their way down most of the stairs and thus she wasn't in danger of much physical harm from the fall.

The boy's, ever helpful, enjoyed a good laugh at their teacher's expense rather than attempting to catch her. Luckily for the three of them, all that was hurt was Michelle's pride. She proceeded to be the butt of their jokes for the entire trip home.

In less than an hour, Kurama was walking up to the door of his human home. He steadied himself with a deep breath before opening the door to confront the female who so dared to present herself to Shiori as his 'girlfriend'.


	22. Cleansing Rain (21)

_I'm actually really looking forward to feedback on this chapter! I'm going to TRY to keep the next few coming fairly quickly as I know I hate being left hanging. I just sent chapter 22 out to Dumbrat so as soon as it passes her test it will be on to you guys. I had some fun exploring Kurama's relationship with his mother in this chapter and I think I have a good balance here. She's not dumb, she's not naive and really, how long can he keep up his lies before she catches on? It was fun to toy with it and his want to protect and shelter her. Very interesting and gave me some thoughts for use- maybe not in this story but in another maybe. _

_Reviews:_

_LadyEllesmere, Kurama is beyond ticked. Trying roaring pissed. Lucky for everyone he is for the most part the master of his emotions._

_KioshiUshima, have you made it your mission to give me the warm fuzzies? Cuz your reviews have been leaving me on cloud 9 :) As someone who has always been afraid to write and always had a poor grasp on spelling (that's putting it nicely) I was terrified to allow others to read my writings. For you to say that these chapters are wroth the wait really means a lot to me. You have no idea. I do credit a lot of how I write Kurama with a wealth of knowledge of various mythologies, both Asian and European. I always felt that his demon nature was often ignored or made too __obvious, never really in between. I do go for more what you said, eyes shaped a little different, a subtle light in their eyes, an unnerving smile and being just a little less surprised as events fall into place. Nothing that you can ever put your finger on and say 'this is wrong' but something that leaves the hairs on the back of your neck standing on end when you run into them in the dark. _

* * *

"I'm home." He called into the house as he pulled the door closed behind him. In a practiced fluid motion that would make Sara jealous to see, he had his shoes off and had stepped onto the hardwood floors while slipping his feet into his house slippers.

He took hardly a moment to notice the simple black high heels that sat in the entry way and missing set of guest slippers. The sound of his mother's soft laugh could be heard from the living room and Kurama followed it.

"Mother?" He called out again, as he rounded the corner but the sight he was greeted with stopped him dead in his tracks. Shiori stands and goes to her son and the woman follows.

She had long thin legs that matched the rest of her thin frame. Her choice of sundress did much to display those legs as well as her ample chest while highlighting her thin waist. The body that moved to him was in many ways modern human's idea ideal of the perfect female. Her milky skin and pale blonde hair did much to give her an otherworldly appearance. Blue eyes sparkled at him.

"You never mentioned you had a girlfriend, Suuichi. And she's so lovely too!" Shiori smiles at him. "Welcome home, would you like some tea?"

"Yes, please." Standing stiffly, he waits for his mother to leave the room before addressing the woman, who now had used the time he spent speaking with his mother to drape her arms around his waist.

"It's been a long time, Yoko." She purrs in his ear.

"Kurama." He corrects, not wishing one such as her to use his given name. He shakes her off and moves to take a seat in an armchair, not wanting her touch. "Tsuki, why are you here?"

"We belong together, love." She slinks her way over to him.

"I do not want you, give up your pursuit and leave this place." Rather than listen to him, she placed herself in his lap as his mother returned with tea.

"How long have you two been together?" She asks, setting the pot and cups down before pouring each a cup.

"A while," Tsuki answers as she nuzzles into his neck. "It feels like we are meant for each other."

Shiori is taken back by the unexpectedly forward nature of the young woman. As she watches Tsuki fawn over and run her hands over her son's chest, Shiori considers if her husband was right and young Japanese women have started to lose their way with increased western exposure.

"Mother, may we have a moment?" Her son's voice sounds strained even to Shiori's ears. With a small nod she gets up and takes her tea into the kitchen. A moment later the water is heard as well as the sounds of dishes clanking around.

"Whatever you think this stunt has accomplished, I assure you, it has not." Kurama's voice had a cold hard edge to it as he pushed her back off of his chest.

"Are you denying me now because of her? That little redheaded bitch I smell on you?" Tsuki's voice was hot with anger as she dug her nails into his chest. "I am stronger than her. I am more of a woman then she will ever be."

Tsuki's lips crashed into his in what he assumed was to be a seductive kiss. It made his stomach roll as he pushed her away from him, this time all the way off his lap. He allowed her to fall in an undignified heap as he stood from his seat.

"No. Never again Tsuki. I will never again be with you." Power radiated off him, causing her to scoot back. "Why are you here?"

"She's human. She will wilt and die in a blink of your eye." She pleaded from her place on the floor.

"What do you know of Michelle? What exactly is your plan?" Kurama asked, voice low and dangerous.

"I just want to be with you!" Tears gathered in her eyes. "Can't you see how much I love you? You love me, I know you do." It was pathetic, really. However, answers would not likely come from her.

For a moment he just watched her as a silent tear fell down her face. 'Damn it all' he thought, annoyed that nothing seemed to be easy. Shuffling footsteps could be heard and he could smell Shiori's perfume draw closer. While he knew he should hold her captive, torture her or drug her into giving him answers bound as he was in his human life and human home, such was not actually an option. A soft growl threatened to slip from his chest, he hated his hand being forced but he had little other option.

"Leave and never allow me to see your face again." His eyes and voice both were dark and promised untold amounts of pain should she fail to do as told.

Tsuki was quick to flee the house, leaving Shiori to reenter the room confused. She wore a tired look upon her face as her hands played and twisted the hem of her shirt.

"Mother, Tsuki speaks lies. She cannot be trusted." His voice was soft and the change from how he had spoken to Tsuki was drastic. Shiori could never have imagined such a dark voice coming from her son, yet she had heard it plain as day as she had stood near the doorway in the hall.

"Suiichi…" His name was more of a sigh. "What have you become?"

"Mother? I am as I have always been." He offers her a soft smile

"No, you've changed. I feel as if you are hiding something from me. We haven't always been close, that I know but it feels like it is something big. Know that you can always tell me anything." She grabs up Tsuki's abandoned teacup and takes it into the kitchen, leaving her son to think on her words.

As she washed the cup her mind played back the prior events. It sickened her to watch a young woman seat herself in her son's lap. It made her angry to watch a woman she had never met before touch her son so fondly, so intimately. And for her son to look comfortable, bored even, with the attention confused Shiori greatly. As far as she had been aware he had no girlfriends, no experience with girls at all. A young man his age should have reacted somehow. It all left her feeling very confused in a sea of different emotions. She very much felt as if he was hiding parts of himself and his life from her and that saddened her.

At the very least she could hold onto the hope that whatever her son's secret was, he would tell her when he was ready.

Michelle closed the door behind her and rested against it for a moment, enjoying the warmth of the hot cup of tea in her hand. Yusuke and Kuwabara had insisted on seeing her home and proceeded to raid her small apartment for any American snacks they could find as well as anything else that was edible and not nailed down.

Sara had quite enjoyed their company and told many stories of their time together in High School and growing up. The noise lasted well past noon. Silence finally ruled the house once stomachs started growling again, around 4pm.

The teenagers left to do whatever it is that teenagers do in Japan and Sara offered to run out and pick up something for dinner. It would be cheap convenience store food for dinner for the rest of the month until payday.

She sat on her futon with her tea and the latest copy of "Captain Brainiac", sent to her by a friend in the States. She wanted to get a chance to read it before handing it over to the 'wolves' that she called her students. It seemed the world had other plans however, as soon as she was comfortable her cellphone began singing its song.

After finding it out of reach she resorted to using her toes on the touch screen to attempt to answer and place the call on speaker. Moving the phone closer did not occur to her. She hung up on the first call but the caller quickly called again. She was successful on the second try.

"Moshi Moshi" She called out.

"Hello? Is everythi-" It was Kurama on the other end.

"Yeah, nothing to see here" She mumbled, too embarrassed to admit her childish actions. "Oh! How did it go?" Michelle was quick to sit up and grab the phone.

"Well enough I suppose." he sighed

"So? Who was she?" Michelle was ever eager for details that he seemed to not be providing.

"A demoness I…" He trailed off, not sure of how to phrase it. What they had done so long ago was frowned upon in most human culture he was aware of.

"You? You what?" Michelle glared at the phone while all the possible ways that statement could end flooded her mind.

"A demoness I had… played with, you could say, for a while." Another sigh "She had grown very attached to me. She was very angry when I refused to have her as more than a body to warm my bed."

Michelle was silent for a moment causing Kurama to wonder if this would be it, the thing that is just too different for her to handle. Part of him was disappointed that she was scared off so quickly.

"So, a fuck buddy?" Michelle stated flatly in English, not really knowing how to phrase the term in Japanese.

"Someone to casually have sex with while not having any emotional attachment or responsibilities owed to said person, yes." Kurama wanted to be clear on the meaning, not having the term 'fuck buddy' in his list of English phrases. Michelle started laughing at him. His eyebrow twitched.

"You have a crazy ex-lover stalker who happens to be a demon. This keeps getting better and better." Kurama was shocked at her simple acceptance as well as that an English term for his past escapades with females existed.

"Michelle…" He trailed of, not sure of what he wished to ask.

"I'm fine. Really." Her laughter died down.

"If you are certain." Was his only response while silently he questioned himself. It wasn't like him to care if a female turned him away, more would always be on his doorstep begging for his attention… Not that females turned him down.

"I have had a few guys before you, you know!" She playfully snapped into the phone. "A crazy ex won't scare me away, I have a few of my own." He chuckles at her antics.

"I must help Mother. If you need anything, just call and I will be right over." It amazed her how his voice could so quickly turn serious.

"I will." She smiled into the phone as they said goodnight. She felt safe, even without him at her side, just knowing that he was a call away and would come for her. What the future holds is unknown to her, what challenges she will face in order to be by his side she can't even begin to imagine but she smiles anyway, feeling that maybe their differences aren't as great as he fears.

Two wards over, Kurama's face holds a similar soft smile as the great demon thief helps his human mother cook their evening meal.

Michelle sat the comic book aside and picked up a leather bound novel just as Sara returned and called out that Michelle shouldn't eat. Gods help them all, Sara was making dinner. Michelle called out a simple warning not to burn the building down or to kill herself. For a moment she glanced around her room, wishing she had squirreled away some snacks in the event of Sara's cooking but alas, she would be forced to eat whatever was given as she had nothing else to eat.

With a sigh, Michelle returned to her book. Her mood had changed and a simple peace fell over her. It is one of the few times when she actually feels all grown up, like an adult who has their life together. A glass of wine would go well with this book and her current mood but alas, she has none.

As chapters begin to pass, she finds herself getting warmer and warmer. Layers of clothing come off and soon she is reading her book in just a tanktop and shorts. With a great sigh she throws a dark look at the window on the other side of the room. She didn't want to get up but it was so damn hot!

"What on earth is she making?" She questions to herself, assuming that Sara was baking something in their small kitchen though she didn't remember hearing her friend come home.

The rush of cold air against her heated skin as she throws open the window feels amazing. Rain had moved in and the soft pitter patter drew a smile to her face. For a moment she leaned against the window and tapped the river stone against the frame, humming an old sassy country song to herself.

Rain poured harder and with a smile on her face, she reached her arm out. All she wanted to do was feel the rain on her skin, something that would feel the same no matter where she was. She was still so damn hot that the cool water would feel amazing.

As she leaned out the window she braced herself with one hand, not wanting to fall. For a moment, the experience was as cool and soothing as she imagined it to be. Until it wasn't.

* * *

_This chapter is the last with any fun to it. The fallowing chapters will be dark and some topics may trigger unpleasant memories for some readers. I will under no consonances apologize for the subject matter and events that are to fallow. Everything that happens, happens for a reason and is necessary for this story. I will promise that a happy ending will take place however the road to life is full of pain and sadness. _

_Reviews give me the warm fuzzies. I do love to hear feedback. _


	23. Missing (22)

_Hello!_

_I'm really excited to be getting to this point. It all has been working up to the next few chapters. The light bits, the fun bits, it was all to get here. It gets really dark and it happens suddenly. Some may not like that however I needed it to happen. I needed it to be sudden. I need Michelle to go through this for the story. In our lives we often times don't realize what we have until we have lost it. Love, more so than other things._

_Kioshi, again with the warm fuzzies with your review! No, her apartment is not on fire, Sara just sucks at cooking. I wrote that bit after arguing with my husband-to-be about his ability to raise the heat in our apartment by 100 damn degrees when ever he cooks ANYTHING! I went back and forth on changing it and ended up liking it and clarifying a bit in this chapter. As for the stone, yeah *blushes* thanks. I really don't think I'm all that good but then I have a hard time finding Fanfiction that meets my standards and end up writing my own. I'm just happy that you and others find it worthy of your time. Kurama's human life was very sheltered from a cultural standpoint. He knew about demons, knows the evils of the world at large but his only real experience is with a very sheltered human culture. I feel that he, like most people, would get caught off guard sometimes when East meets West. And yeah, Youko would have had fun in 90s America or even present day America. _

_Lilcookie, thanks for reading and reviewing! I'm happy you like Michelle and her reaction to Tsuki. I find it funny how many stories center on the idea of virgin characters and first loves. I don't buy it. Kurama was a player, a shameless player who used women in his past. He has baggage and Michelle is an adult woman from America in her early mid 20's- she has a past. She's known men and had boyfriends and that is okay. We are all adults here (or nearly...) and people have pasts and that is okay. I upped the ages of the characters because I wanted to embrace that to a degree._

_CannonRebel, I'm happy you got caught up! I hope I didn't make you wait too long. :) The next few chapters I intend to post pretty close together, maybe a week apart. I hate to be left waiting myself. _

_Again, it gets Dark here. This story was intended to be read by adults and is rated as such. Please remember, it all happens for a reason. _

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"What did you see?" A short man with black spiked hair demanded rather than asked.

Sara just looked at him with wide eyes. The rain pouring down on her did much to mask the tears running down her face as she stood outside. She had been in a panic, looking for her friend outside the building.

"She's…" her voice trailed off. Again Sara looks around, but Michelle is nowhere to be seen. "She's gone?"

"Woman!" The young man growls at her, drawing her eyes back to him.

"She should have landed near here. I saw her fall. But she's gone!" She yells the last statement as she starts to collapse into a fit of tears.

"Damn it. Go inside, stay put." The boy with no name demands before disappearing before her very eyes.

This had to be a dream. Who do you even call when your best friend disappears out of a window? Sara mindlessly does as she is told. In what feels like hours, but in reality was only half of an hour, her apartment is filled with Michelle's friends, all asking her questions that she can't answer.

The floor was so cold and so very hard. For a moment, she wondered if she rolled off her futon. The cold seeped into her as seems only possible with the aid of wetness. She shivers and groans, reaching out for a blanket, a pillow, something, only to find nothing.

Everything hurts but she can't remember why. Confusion clouded her mind. Her eyes felt like lead weights had been attached to each lash. She stretches her arm out again, seeking something, anything that makes sense. Instead of finding the woven tatami floors of her room, her arm scrapes along a rough stone surface.

With what feels like all the strength housed in her muscles Michelle manages to pull her knees under her, then raise herself up on her hands and knees. As her eyes crack open the only sight the meets her is darkness. The dripping of water can be heard in the distance.

"Where am I?" Her voice is a hoarse croak. Only silence answers her.

"Tell me again, what did you see?" Kurama knelt in front of Sara, who was sitting on the kotatsu with her head in her hands. Tears dripped from her chin while others ran down her arms to dampen the knees of her pants, where her elbows rested.

"I was making us some dinner." She started, not looking up. "I went to tell her it was ready. She was at the window, leaning out." Her brown eyes met his green for a moment and the voice in the back of his mind raged for her to hurry up.

"How is this helping?!" Kuwabara voiced the similar sentiment from where he stood.

Instead of addressing him, Kurama just smiled at her. "What happened next?"

"It was normal, you know?" Words spilled from her mouth in a sudden rush. "I'd seen her do it countless times. She always loved the rain. But…" Her eyes welled up and new tears spilt forth. "An arm reached up and… He grabbed… She was pulled out the window. Then she was gone. Just gone."

"Now what?" Yusuke asked, pushing himself off the wall to stand at his full height.

"Hiei?" Kurama asked, ignoring Yusuke's question for the time being.

"Ten people."

"Ten people? Ten people what?!" Kuwabara yells. He's frustrated and angry, the one teacher he liked and now she's gone.

"I'm leaving." With that, Kurama watched as Hiei left through the glass balcony door. He said a silent thank you to his friend for what help he had so far provided. After a moment, Kurama returned his attention to Sara.

"Don't worry," He soothed "We will find her. I will get her back." He said the last statement more to himself than her. Yes, he had every intention of finding Michelle and seeing to her safety. Little else mattered at the moment.

"Okay." Sara's voice was soft, a whisper as more tears fall from her eyes. She is confused, heartbroken and scared. How these men, mostly teenage boys, will find her friend she doesn't know but she struggles to hold onto whatever hope she can none the less.

In a fluid movement, Kurama stands and leaves the small apartment. In a matter of seconds Sara is left alone with her sorrow and guilt. The weight was crushing. She loved Michelle like a sister. Yes they sometimes would fight, sometimes not speak to each other but no matter what, they always looked out for each other.

After sitting alone for a few short moments, Sara picks of her phone. She didn't want to make these calls. She didn't want to have to acknowledge to even more people that her friend was missing. It was however something that needed to be done. Michelle's friends seemed helpful however they couldn't replace real police.

An hour of questions fallowed right after the police checked for any splattered body around the building. Sara cried as she tried to explain what she saw happen but getting the officers to believe her or even fully understand her with her less than perfect Japanese was a feat in and of itself. When they left it was with the promise to have a translator contact her and that they would do their best.

That was the last that Sara heard of the investigation. She was quick to contact the US Embassy as well as informing the Program that brought them to Japan. After that, she felt her hands tied.

"Hiei found ten imp possessed humans in the direct vicinity." Kurama clarifies as they make their way down the stairs. The knot in his stomach tightens. For unknown reasons, Kuro appears to have taken Michelle.

Her connection to their current case cannot be ignored or written off as bad karma any longer. Without a doubt he is sure that Hikoku was a part of Kuro and that he was after Michelle. He had so very many questions and little clues to lead him to answers. It was not a position Kurama was used to by any means.

"Why did they take her?" Yusuke asks, shoving his hands into his pockets as the rain lightens up.

"I do not know." Kurama admits with a sigh. Perhaps Tsuki is tangled in the Kuro web, he mused.

With many questions left unanswered, the hunt was on. Kurama, Yusuke and Kuwabara began their search for Kuro's location with the aid of Hiei, ever lurking in the shadows.

Sara got up and went to work each day, teaching her students the best she could. Her students complained that her classes were not as fun as they once were but Sara hardly noticed. She functioned each day on auto. She cried each day at first and never stopped worrying. It confused her that she hadn't heard from Michelle's friends again after that night.

Days passed by in a dull blur. Soon, she wasn't even sure how long Michelle was missing at times. Other times, she felt like she could count it down to the minute.

As Michelle finally felt steady on her hands and knees a sharp kick sent her to the ground again. As she rolls onto her back she feels the round surface of her river stone. For a moment she ponders how she managed to hold onto long enough for it to make it into the dark room with her.

Her green eyes crack open and her cloudy gaze falls on a figure, tall, slim with pale flesh draped in black and backed by the orange glow of what she can only assume is a fireplace or torches. Blinking her eyes a few times as she tries to clear the fuzz from her vision, she tells herself that no one uses torches anymore. Yet as her eyes focus she can see on the wall behind the woman, a torch sits.

"Give us your gem, girl." The woman demands from her place in the doorway. Again about this damn gem everyone seems to think she has. Michelle only groans in response as she looks around her small cell.

"Tsuki, it's not too late." Another figure clad in similar black robs moves into the doorway. "She's just a human girl. We can leave, they won't catch us." He sounded distraught.

"No." Her voice was sharp as she pulled something from around her neck and held it out. Michelle's eyes strained to see the small gem hanging from the cord. The woman, Tsuki, spoke words that escaped Michelle's ears and the pendent began to glow.

A matching light softly lit the center of Michelle's chest. The light was dim and shone through her loose blouse with ease. Michelle grasped at the warmth but found nothing. The feeling seemed to be coming from deep inside her chest.

"What is going on?" Her voice broke. The warmth in her chest purged the feeling of panic that until now had been nipping at her mind. It was strange to be, for once in her life, without anxiety in her mind. That isn't to say that Michelle is not scared. Rather, she is terrified but of very concrete things and for very sound reasons.

"What's that mean?" The man asked Tsuki, ignoring Michelle's question.

"She is one of them. She has to be. Why else would the pendent react like this?" Tsuki snapped.

"If she had such power, why did she not fight Maki? Why does she not fight us now." He asked in a resigned tone.

"Perhaps she has not come into her abilities…" Tsuki's voice was soft with thought as various ideas passed through her mind, each less pleasant than the last.

A week passed. Then two. Kurama found himself growing more agitated as the days passed by.

Within 24 hours they had found themselves in the Makai, searching for any leads. Koenma had exhausted all sources of information. Yusuke and Kuwabara watched helplessly as Kurama lost the warmth and friendly disposition they had always known for something that was a bit more akin to a feral fox, cold and quick to agitate.

Hiei watched on from the shadows. While he did not know this missing woman, his sister resided in the human world giving him a personal reason to see to it Kuro's plan never came into fruition. While Kurama had been removed from the darker depths of Makai for twenty years, Hiei had been sure to keep himself acquainted with the world.

As the second week turned into the third, it was Hiei who heard mention of Kuro in the dank depths of a bar. It was through this small passing mention that they had finally been able to get some grasp of what direction to move in.

Michelle's days for the first week had largely been a blur of uncomfortable and painful sensations. She was rarely allowed to eat and when her captors did spare her some food, it was often foul, rotten or moldy. When her luck was particularly bad the food would be all three.

She often found herself plagued with stomach pains from the foul food and murky water she was given during the nights. The cramps would steal from her what little rest she was allowed.

Her days had at first been filled with physical torture that varied in severity according to the weather and her captors moods. The tall blonde woman and lanky man had been her only visitors in the first few days.

Tsuki, as she was called by the others, seemed to have it out for Michelle. As the first few days left moved past her and her dank cell, Tsuki began to mentally torture her as well. The evil revealed herself to be the former lover of the man Michelle cared so deeply for. Tsuki explain the nuances of demonic relationships to Michelle. in painful detail. It was revealed to Michelle just all the ways Tsuki has enjoyed Kurama's body in the past and been enjoyed by him. She spared no detail, painting clear images in Michelle's mind.

She would tell Michelle in no uncertain terms that she was nothing to Kurama but a warm body, just as Tsuki had been. At first, Michelle protested, she had never shared her bed with Kurama, after all. Tsuki would counter that the only reason was her delicate human nature and that he was wanting to worm himself into her life, to seduce her and make her need him. Youko always loved it when a woman would beg for him, or so Tsuki would say.

Tsuki played games with Michelle's mind almost nightly in the second week. Maki, the man who had first taken her from her bed room what felt like years ago, forced her to his bed in that second week. His blows to her head when she resisted left much of the experience a blur and Michelle was thankful for that. Tsuki used the event to further instill doubt into Michelle's heart.

As the second week passed into the third, Michelle had lost hope. She felt dirty and it was rare when she didn't feel the ghost of Maki's hands on her. She had no more tears to cry, though it was hard to tell if this was from dehydration or from her grim acceptance of her position.

In her heart, she knew she would die here. If she was lucky, she would be allowed to die alone in her cell with some measure of peace in her passing. More than likely, she knew she would experience her death at the hands of her captors with an unknown amount of pain.

It was now half way through that third week and Michelle's body ached with the residual pain of the day's beating. She had dozed off for a bit in the same place she had landed when Maki had thrown her back in her cell after having his way with her yet again. She silently wept hopeless tears, tears she didn't think she had left and prayed for death to claim her.

Kuwabara drank greedily from where Kurama had sliced into the under branch of the bushy tree. They were all tired and as the third week drew to a close the feeling of hopelessness was getting harder and harder to fight off. It was in that moment, when everyone was weary and ill prepared that a man in black robes jumped from his place of hiding in a nearby tree.

It was Hiei who was quickest to act. In a heartbeat he met the man midair, katana drawn. Swords met in a shower of sparks. Anticipating an attack, Hiei was quick to jump back out of reach of his enemy's blade. The strike never came.

"Wait!" The cloaked figure called, his voice giving a hint at his youth. "I've not come to battle." He held his blade at the ready but made no move to strike out, rather he was prepared to defend himself.

"Who are you?" Yusuke shouts.

"I come seeking a truce, seeking aid in exchange for an offer of the same. You search for a human girl, right?" He called out; face still hidden under the black hood of his robs. He had to admit, maybe coming to them still wearing the robes was a bad idea but he had wasted little time after he made his choice in actually putting the plan into motion.

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_Yeah... I love Kai. Started on my next work. Well a few actually but the next to be posted when this finishes is a Hiei X OC inspired in part by a good handful or so of loooong dead stories from other site- talking stories that have been dead for 10 years lol. I always loved Hiei, he was quite and angry but also so SASSY and so often that part of his personality is swept under the rug. _


	24. A lead

_Hello! _

_What? Is this another chapter? So soon?! Yep! It seems like this once a week pace will keep up for a while at least. Lucky for you! Again, we are at a dark point in the story, please be aware that we are not looking at roses and rainbows right now. This is dark._

_Lilcookie84, I'm happy you were pleased with the last chapter. I try to keep a balance in my writing. While I don't shy away from the dark topics, sex or the physical form all the graphic details are not necessary in order to paint for you the picture I see in my mind's eye. As for how Michelle will deal with the trauma, time will tell. I will say that much of my writing is based on personal experiences, study of psychology and the experiences of those I know personally- though not to the extent Michelle has gone through so far. _

_KioshiUshima, To be honest, I didn't know what I was writing about when I started. Know I do however. This is a story about acceptance, forgiveness and love. Not between two people, but between each person and the demons of their own soul as well as memories. In order for these lessons to be learned, some have to go through hell. Michelle is going through hell, if she is able to come out of this with her heart intact is the question- or if she will even survive. _

_2_3

He offered no further details until the group had taken shelter. A fire was built for light in the shallow cave and its warm light offered some measure of comfort, though actual warmth wasn't needed on this night. Hiei watched over the man from his place leaning against the wall, ever ready to strike should the man have lured them into a trap.

Before taking a seat before the group, the stranger stripped off his robe. It was the first glimpse of him they had seen, with the exception of the strong arms that wielded his sword in his defense and the tan skin, unmarred by visible scars that spoke of an easy life and much time spent out of doors.

"Who are you?" It was Kurama who repeated Yusuke's question from earlier that still went unanswered. "Why have you sought us out?"

"Names Kai." The lanky man leaned back on his arms, stretching his legs out in front of himself. His face was a plane of sharp features and bright blue eyes. Women would find him handsome. Lean muscles bunched and moved under the tan skin of his legs and arms while he twitched and fidgeted his feet and arms. He was silent for some time, thinking. It was his last chance to back out, to save himself but betraying Kuro, betraying her was all worth it if he could just save the life of the woman he loved. Somewhere he remembered once being told 'it's better to ask forgiveness than permission' as a pup.

"Well, Kai?" Yusuke's voice was strained. This was time he did not want to be wasting.

"If I tell you where they're located," Kai pauses and looks pointedly at Kurama "I want to be assured Tsuki's safety."

"Who?" Kuwabara cuts in dumbly. "I don't go around hurting no women and don't intend to." He continues on about his code of honor.

"And what is your connection to her?" Kurama asks, ignoring Kuwabara for the time being.

"I love her." Kai states plainly and yet the confidence behind his declaration was evident. "It may have been too much to ask of you to give a damn about her, but I love her." 'You' was emphasized with a pointed look at Kurama.

"I'm confused." Kuwabara mumbles more to himself. Kurama speaks again before Yusuke can demand clarification.

"Your connection is her. What is Tsuki's connection to Kuro? What is her purpose?" Kurama could feel it, he was close, so close to at least getting some of his questions answered.

"You. She wants you." Kai rakes his fingers though his hair and sighs. It was a moment where he acknowledges that for so long as Kurama lives, Tsuki may never love him. Killing the man before him wasn't an option, she wouldn't forgive such actions. "She wants you to love her."

"Okay, I think it is story time." Yusuke cut in, tired of being left in the dark. This was his mission and yet he seems to know the least at the moment.

Much of the night was spent with Kurama revealing details of his less than romantic relationship. He maintained that no emotional connections had been promised or made, simply the physical scratching of an itch. Once the curiosity of his personal past had been dealt with, Kai revealed the location of Kuro's camp and took his leave.

Yusuke and Hiei both had not been pleased with allowing the man to leave. He was one of the enemies. He could be leading them into a trap. He could have been useful as a hostage. Instead, they let him leave. Kurama was aware that it wasn't the best decision. His time living as a human however has opened his eyes to how deep love can run and how far it can push one to protect who holds their heart.

As the light peeked above the mountains and brought light to the first day of the fourth week since Michelle went missing, the group was off to the south west of their cave. They moved at a swift pace to their destination.

Meanwhile, Michelle lay naked, bloodied and broken on the floor of her cell. Her fingers played over the cool surface of the round stone that has been her ever present companion. She could never understand why the stone was always cool to the touch regardless of how long she would clutch it at night.

She is unaware of the length of her stay. Mentally, she wills her heart to stop beating but is unsuccessful. Lacking in physical strength from malnutrition and injury alike, she is unable to take more decisive action to put an end to her misery. The beating she received the previous night was particularly bad.

It happened late in the dead of night after Maki pulled her from her cell. She had long sense lost her clothes, he had ripped them all from her body in the previous weeks and so now his calloused hands gripped and pulled at her flesh. Much of her body was covered in deep purple marks that he had left with his hands.

It pleased the gruff man greatly to see the marks he left on her. Her pain only further got him off. She tried not to cry out but it causes him to only push more. Last night was different.

She held a defiant silence and for that she was rewarded with increasingly strong blows. It was her plan to provoke him into a rage. She didn't want to live any more. Death's embrace and the end to her suffering called to her in a sweet song.

It was then, as she was bent over the edge of the bed with Maki moving inside her that it happened. Her hair was matted with dirt, blood and other bodily fluids and he had his hand fisted in the tangled locks. Blood ran down her legs and dripped off her face. He held her arms behind her back in one large fist. Sweat dripped onto her back from the greasy mop of brown hair atop Maki's head.

As Maki pulled Michelle's head back by her hair she gave up a cry. Her eyes opened and the next sound that escaped her throat was a strangled sob. In front of her eyes was her stone. She felt a power a burning power well up in her chest in the same place that so long ago felt warm at the presence of Tsuki's pendent.

Before her eyes, her own stone seemed to glow at the same intensity as the burn in her chest. That was crazy, she was well aware of that fact but in her pain and despair she took what peace she could from the glow. Suddenly the burning fire in her chest washed into a cool wave that washed out from her chest and down through her body. As suddenly as it happened, it was over.

Michelle was only vaguely aware of Maki's screams. At first it was a pained screech. What followed was an enraged howl. Blood poured from singed flesh. It made little sense to Michelle as it felt to her as if a wave of water had poured over her body. It didn't feel as if something that could burn even the driest tinder however that was what appeared to have happened.

The beating the followed lasted many hours. Suri was the first to come investigate to sounds. It was her who prevented Michelle's death. The small woman dragged Michelle's bloody body back to her cell, where she was thrown in by her hair. Michelle cried for much of the remainder of the night as she listed to Maki and Suri argue about her future. She couldn't hear the words clear enough to understand the discussion.

It took them until mid-morning to reach the edge of the forest. From there they could see the fortress. In all reality it was a fortified single tower. For forest surrounding was dense with hardly any gaps in the tree cover. One could only see the faintest hint of animal trails left by the small, animal like demons that lived in and around the forest.

It would be a long slow trek if they had been forced to travel through the underbrush. Their mobility would be greatly limited and they would be left open to attack. The bushes and fines that engulfed the forest floor would leave them with a weak defense and they would be hard pressed to watch each other's backs.

"That must be it." Yusuke stated more in an effort to fill the silence. After Kurama nodded his agreement Yusuke continued. "Going to be a bitch to get through the underbrush…"

When one cannot travel through an obstacle, one should travel over it. Eyeing the trees, Kurama could see their branches had grown thick and steady. They would be able to support the weight of even the heaviest footed human in their group.

With an elegant leap, he joined Hiei on the branch of the closest tree.

"We will travel up here, through the branches." He states as Yusuke takes a running start at the tree. His feet are planted firmly as he runs partially up the tall trunk before jumping and grasping the branch. The momentum from the jump was used to swing his body around and plant his feet near Kurama's as he stood.

Kuwabara had a much harder time of getting onto the branch, his first attempt in copying Yusuke's method ended with his foot slipping off the trunk of the tree two steps up and his face colliding harshly against the rough bark.

"Idiot" Hiei mumbled. "Let's leave him here, it will be faster."

Yusuke rolled his eyes at the comment as Kuwabara began yelling at the smallest man as he was pulled up onto the branch by Kurama and Yusuke.

After a good hour of traveling Kuwabara finally stopped complaining about the height of the trees and began to get used to walking on the branches. Kurama and Hiei made it look so simple with their superior balance.

As midmorning pushed on into early afternoon the group of men could feel the increasing weight of eyes on their backs as they traveled. It was particularly unnerving as no physical presence could be sensed.

The attack came quickly. In a very literal sense many of the enemies materialized from the very shadows that surrounded them. Imps, much too small and weak to be sensed, provided a distraction that allowed the shadow demons to get the first few blows in.

Soon, attacks from shadows in the trees are matched with distracting, yet weak blows from imps. Each man took a good number of blows. They quickly discovered that the imps, though vast in number are easy to cut down in just as large numbers.

The shadow demons however gave them much more difficulty. Each blow that should have landed on a shadow demon was met by the very target turning into smoke rather than taking any damage. It was Hiei who first discovered the weakness of these shadow creatures.

It happened after many wide swipes of his sword proved to be useless. Yet another swipe of Hiei's Katana resulted in the three figures he had targeted turning to smoke as the blade passed through their form. Behind him, some smoke gathered and one of the three figures formed again. With a smirk on his face, the figure planted his foot on Hiei's back in a hard shove that should have sent him sprawling.

Years of combat and training both had a hand in the quick reflexes that allowed Hiei to redirect his body. He was able to use his momentum and rage both to power the fierce strike that followed. The key difference was the centralized target, rather than the goal of taking out as many enemies as possible his goal was to dispatch the one who dared to attack him in such a humiliating way.

Rahter than pulling out of the attack that would have left any normal target mortally wounded and using the rest of the energy to strike at another target he remained focused on this single target. Bloodlust fueled his movements as he slicked deeper into the form that was quickly becoming smoke.

As the blade cut into the form in an area that was once the waist of the man another inch the smug look on his mostly misty face changed with a jolt into one of pain. The same jolt accompanied a key change in the body of the man. In an instant it changed from a misty form in the process of becoming smoke to a solid physical form.

The flesh formed around the blade of Hiei's katana as if it belonged. As the momentum of the strike never let up the blade cut through freshly formed tissue. Blood poured out of the newly formed wound. Hiei only turned his attention to a new target once his blade ripped a path through the other side of the man's waist, effectively almost cutting the man in half.

The event did not go unnoticed by Hiei's comrades. Once a method of killing the smoke demons had been uncovered, the group made quick work of the rest of them. Kurama was unsettled by the feral rage that burned in his heart. For each and every smoke demon whose blood slicked his rose whip, he imagined the satisfaction that he would get from taking the life of Hikoku, if he could ever track the demon down.

In a short hour the battle ended. Broken and dismembered bodies littered the forest floor and hung from tree branches. In the distance one could hear the scamper of what few imps remained alive as they made their escape. Each exhausted warrior collapsed into heaps. They rested on branches with backs against trunks of the great trees.

"Well, that was fun." Yusuke attempted at a joke. "A great workout!"

"Yes, indeed it was." Kurama agreed, glad to have had the chance to run though some pent up energy. It helped him to think clearly and allowed him for the first time to feel as if he was actually able to accomplish something in his quest to save to woman his heart ached for.

They didn't spare much time for rest and didn't bother taking the time to find a source of water to wash the blood from their bodies. Injuries had all been minor and required no immediate treatments. More than anything the group was tired in more ways than one. The battle and grueling pace they traveled in the past four weeks and the battle both left them physically spent.

More than anything the many unanswered questions and worry for Michelle left them mentally and emotionally drained. Yet the only option they had to do was press on, hope their questions would be answered in time and pray that they would find Michelle alive.

Once they began moving again the tower quickly came into view. At the entrance to the tower they had been met with no resistance. The four of them were aware that they very likely stepped foot into a trap as they made their way inside but none could see any other method.

The tower appeared deserted and yet the scampering of small imp feet could be heard. It was Kurama who took the lead, a place that Yusuke willingly gave up out of respect of his friend's still young love with the missing Michelle.

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_Well that's done. Next chapter is with the Beta and I have up to chapter 27 written. I do hope everyone is still enjoying this ride. Reviews make me feel loved, though this story will continue with or without them. Keep watching for the next chapter- I promise it is a good one. I'll give a hint- I cried at the end of it! I still can't read it without getting sad! _


	25. Found

_Just got back from Senshi Con in Anchorage, AK! I intended to have this posted Thursday before I left town but life happened. Oh well! I'm back at work and my first order of business is to down a cup of coffee and give you this chapter- then the mountain of Files! I swear, I think the stack I have to file is larger than Denali... Again, things are not roses and sunshine at this point in the story. _

_LadyEllesmere, Good to see you again! I assure you, the pain has a purpose. _

_KioshiUshima, all good guesses! I think you are going to love the next few chapters! I'm happy I could be the cause of the fluttery hands! _

* * *

As Michelle lay on the floor she heard a commotion. Maki came for her again. The sight of the man, still singed, drew a groan from the bloody and bruised woman. The bleeding from between her legs had only recently stopped and yet the cause was here again to violate her. Rather than the torture starting in her cell, as it had so many times before, she was thrown over the robed shoulder.

She was held in place by a firm hand on her ass as he carried her up what seemed like countless stairs. Imps ran around Maki's feet and cried warnings and reports of the deaths of their comrades. Michelle was dazed and with the blood rushing to her head couldn't focus on the words of the creatures. It was pointless to try; no one would be coming for her.

Maki absentmindedly listened to the useless creatures' reports as he dipped his fingers into her bloody womanhood. She didn't resist and simply cried tears that got lost in the matted mess of her hair. Her arms dangled down to the ground as her fingers played over the smooth stone gripped in her left hand.

The man was frustrated. The imp's reports made no sense. How could the spirit detective and his friends be on their way to the tower when no one should have been aware of their presence? He wanted to take the woman on his shoulder to his chambers and make her scream and weep. His body still ached from the liquid fire she burned him with and she needed to pay for daring to do such a thing to him.

His clawed hand twitched as a devilish idea occurred to him. As he neared the top of the tower he plunged two fingers deep into the woman's body and curled the digits. His clawed fingers ripped through the tender flesh and muscles within her as if he was ripping paper. The blood curdling scream that was pulled from Michelle's throat was one of the most pleasing sounds he had ever heard. For as pleasing as the sound was, it may have been his greatest mistake.

The sound of Michelle's scream carried down to the lowest level of the tower, where the young men battled yet more waves of imps. The pain in the scream was unmistakable. It left Kurama and Hiei to wonder what could have been done to the woman to pull such a bone chilling scream from her. As the scream trailed off the tired warriors found that the fear for their friend renewed their bodies and spirits alike. Soon they cut through the swarm of small demons and charged up the stairs.

Weapons cut through imp and smoke demon alike as they made their way further up, unaware of what may await them at the top. It was all they could do to pray that it wasn't a death scream they heard, that they would find her alive and that they would be successful. With each floor they cleared, their muscles tired and minor injuries again began to accumulate as small errors in judgment became more common.

Blood trailed up the last flight of stairs from where in drizzled down Michelle's legs and off the tip of her big toes. It took everything she had to force herself to breathe. She sobbed with renewed force for the first time in what felt like weeks. Was it too much to ask for her to just die? As she cried she prayed again for death.

She felt betrayed by this power they believed her to have. What good is it if she can't use it? Michelle felt as if she had been in this hell forever. She didn't know what these people wanted her to do but if she could give them the damned gem they so badly wanted, she would have a long time ago, even if it would have resulted in her death. She would do nearly anything to be free from this place.

The top floor of the tower was still cool, the sun not yet shining clearly through the window openings. Absently Michelle was able to notice that it looked to be a nice day in the outside world but that the very sky itself looked different. It looked… off. She couldn't place why, but she knew that this was not the sky she looked up to, that she spent many a night gazing at all her life.

She was unceremoniously tossed to the floor, near the back of the round room. Around her was the four robbed figures of the Kuro clan. The tension on the room was thick enough cut and yet, for a few moments no one spoke.

"Produce the gem." It was Suri who spoke.

Her voice is as high pitched as ever and was a well match to the child like size of the figure shrouded in robs. Her hood was down, revealing for the first time in Michelle's memory the young pale face of the woman. She had long black hair with the top portion pulled into an intricate bun with the rest of her hair being allowed to hang loose. Feminine earrings hung from her pointed ears. She could very easily be mistaken for a child if not for her eyes. Her black eyes betrayed the vast number of years.

Michelle first assumed she was the one being spoken to but was cut off by the velvety voice of Tsuki.

"I need more time." She stated confidently. "She is an Elemental." Her hand reached into her robs, between her breasts and pulled her pendent out as evidence. "It reacts!" Her voice was somewhat panicked.

"Enough!" Maki roared. "She is something, but she is no Elemental." Maki stood tall, bare chest showing the evidence of Michelle's hidden power.

"We will no longer be a part of your personal revenge." Suri's voice called out as she discarded her robes. Under she wore a simple black kimono. The back of the robe contained a slit up to her mid thighs allowing for better movement. Out from below the obi a thin black scaled tail swayed behind her.

Delicate hands peeked out from her sleeves. On her right outstretched hand, held stiff and pointed, was being covered in black scales. Each scale built on the previous one until her hand had become incased in a scaled sword.

"Wait!" Kai stepped forward. "I'm sure we can figure this out."

This was the scene that greeted the young men as the burst into the room from the stairway. They stood chests heaving unnoticed for the moment by everyone in the room, with the exception of Kai who glanced at them before returning his attention to Suri.

"Indeed we can." Was the only further warning Suri gave. Suri blamed Tsuki for the attack on their tower. It was her fault these spirit detectives came for them with such force. In a blink of the eye, Suri had leapt over Michelle's still body with her sword poised to stab through Tsuki's heart.

"No!" Kai yelled, as he lunged in front of the woman he loved with all of his heart. With his clawed hands he deflected the blow as much as he could. He used his body to shield Tsuki however he found the scale blade was sharper than he anticipated. Though he struck the flat of the blade, Suri was quick to twist it, severing the last three fingers of his left hand. She pushed forward and slashed into his shoulder with the last of the energy from the swing.

"Tsuki, run!" He called out behind him. She hesitated and rather than run, sidestepped out from behind Kai. She moved closer to the wall.

Maki shifted and Michelle's body became visible to the young men on the other side of the room. Taking the chance provided by the distraction of fighting within the Kuro clan they began their advance. Whether ignored or unnoticed, their advance rewarded them with a closer look at Michelle and the fighting.

"She has the gem." Tsuki repeated, kneeling behind Michelle.

"Tsuki! Just give up! Run!" Kai yelled, reaching out and yanking her onto her back.

Suri took the momentary distraction to strike. In a blink of an eye, she had run him through with her sword. The tip stood out of his back. With the last of his time, Kai slashed out with his claws. Suri simply stepped back and pulled her sword up. With force that one wouldn't expect from her small frame, she pulled her sword on its journey from his stomach, through his chest cavity and out of his left shoulder. She avoided his heart, allowing him a slower and very painful death after his body fell to the ground.

"Michelle!" Kurama called out, wanting to see her respond in any way but she remained still as her friends charged forward.

Maki met them. He pulled forth beings from the shadows, which quickly moved in to attack. Maki himself fluttered between the four opponents, striking at each when their guard was down or when they had been distracted with the shadow beings.

Michelle heard him call out her name but was sure she was hearing things, a side effect of blood loss maybe? Her eyes focused on the dagger, held in Tsuki's hand. Commotion could be heard throughout the room. Now that her death was upon her, Michelle found that she didn't want to watch it come.

With what felt like more strength then she had left, she turned her head and looked out over the expanse of the room. She had been so sure that Kurama's voice was her imagination but now she could see him with her own eyes. As his eyes locked on hers he called out her name again.

She watched as he took another blow from Maki's daggers. Blood poured from his arm. With a quick flick of his wrist his whip was wrapped around Maki's right arm and in a heartbeat the arm was severed. Michelle allowed herself to imagine that he had won victory for him and their friends in that one move. It was a sweet dream.

She smiled when their eyes met again. She felt at peace. Her heart felt light. He came for her. With a happy heart, Michelle shed her last tear as she felt the bite of Tsuki's dagger in her throat. The last thing Michelle saw was Kurama's green eyes and she was okay with that though she wished she could see his smile one last time.

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_It was a bit shorter than I have been trying for but I really really really wanted to stop it here. Please don't kill me, ne? Reviews! I would LOVE to hear what everyone thinks of this chapter and the ones coming up! I intend to have the next on posted this weekend if I can but it will be a very busy weekend for Alaskans. I'm going to try really hard though!_

_Jaa ne!_


	26. Into the darkness

_Hey so sorry it took so long. I was doing really really good with weekly updates then my grandmother fell and hurt her neck. Shes my babysitter so everything went to crap for a few weeks. She's doing much better now tho and able to watch kiddo again. It may take a bit for updates to get back on track to the once a week goal I had but we are working on it. _

_LadyEllesmere, why? Because the story demands it. Who am I to deny?_

_KioshiUshima, I'm so sorry for getting up so excited and then making you wait so long! I hope you enjoy it._

_livtink, I don't think anyone has said my writing was 'on point' before ^.^ Thank you. Your kind words made me happy. I love to hear that someone enjoys how I wright Kurama. I find often times people make him more shallow and I can see why, a shallow kurama is easier to understand and write. I was really worried that my Kurama would put people off. _

_Guest- I'm sorry I made you wait so long!_

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Kurama broke battle and ran to her, eyes wide when he saw the dagger in Tsuki's hands, resting against Michelle's too pale skin. Tsuki watched him run to them, at full speed before Suri stepped in between them. Tsuki cursed the woman, if she had not stepped in the path of her sight, she could have pretended he was coming for her. But she knew he wasn't. He was coming for the bitch that was so human, on the verge of death as it was.

"Produce the gem, or die." Suri again ordered. Tsuki didn't respond but rather locked eyes with Kurama as he ran to the side, wanting to be aware of the situation as he advanced.

"Tsuki! Don't do this!" He shouted, panic laced into his voice, just a hint of it was able to slip through his control. His eyes are opened wide, adrenalin flooding his system in a new wave pushing his legs to move faster as he lashed his whip out. He cleared what path he could and ran for the women, eyes locked on Michelle's.

It was his eyes she watched, as she pushed the blade into the soft skin of the human's neck. The flesh cut so easy, like paper. It amazed Tsuki that such creatures don't die in their day to day actions, being so fragile. Blood poured out of the wound as she cut deeper.

Rather than fight back the woman did not move. There was no wave of power, no gem. Her death was simply the death of a human, the pouring of blood, the shutting down of organs. Her death was just the parting of spirit and body. It was undeniably average, normal and unremarkable beyond the circumstances that lead to it.

Before Kurama could reach Tsuki he was cut off by another pack of shadow beings. He was weary and tired but fight on he must. He was only partially aware of the fight that began between Tsuki and Suri. His attacks took on a new edge as he sliced into bodies with little concern for the damage done to his body.

Fighting had never been Tsuki's strength. She would often have men fight for her. Why bother putting yourself in harm's way when others can take the bite of the blade in your place. Such is what drew her to Yoko Kurama in the first place, all those many years ago.

He offered her protection, relative stability even. He was by no means rich but he was a man making his way through the world that they lived in. She was a woman who could have any male she wished assuming she was able to get close enough to them to work her charms. Few men could resist her.

He was one of the few. She saw such potential in this man. She could have taken a man with more but no matter how rich or powerful the demon, none would have the amount of raw potential she saw in him. He could be a king and she would be by his side when he took the throne. She would be his queen.

It was shortly after their first meeting that he began taking her to his bed. Within a few months, she was his nightly companion. She had believed it had gone so well. In a few more moons, she felt a swelling in her heart and an attachment to him that she had never experienced.

It was devastating to her, when he packed up his gang of thieves and left the cave system they had kept camp at for nearly a year. The prior night they had met at the nearby hot springs as had become typical and by the end of the night she was warm, naked, wrapped in furs and comfortable in his makeshift bed. As she dozed, she listened to the breathing of the man next to her.

Never once did it occur to her that after his release, he wouldn't hold her or spare her much thought. He would be right next to her; a few inches away and yet his mind could be in a different world. While she viewed him as hers, she had no formal claim over the man. Her possessive views were one sided. He never spoke it, but in his heart and his mind both, he held no claim over her.

That is what had made it so easy to simply move camp when word of a new treasure reached his ears. It never occurred to him to say goodbye to the woman he had been rutting with. She was a fine female to look upon, to touch and be touched by but she lacked power and standing. She would be unable to help him rise in power. He was sure to never promise her anything more than a satisfying night.

In his mind he did no wrong when he had left.

It was Kai, from his place on the ground who was able to truly watch the exchange between the Dragon demoness and his Tsuki. He tried to tell her to run again, but his voice wouldn't work.

"Die" How such a cold command could come from one who looks so young, no one may ever know. It was all that Suri spoke however, as she plunged her blade through Tsuki's soft middle.

"No.." Was all Tsuki could say, gripping the blade. Her hands cut easily on it. Tears stung in her eyes as she again looked around. Her eyes fell for a moment on Kai, the sweet wolf demon who had been at her side for almost a hundred years. As tears gathered in his eyes she looked up to Kurama.

He didn't spare her a glance. He was bloody and tired, anyone could see that. Anger pushed his body on however. She always had known Kurama would go on to be a great man.

Suri ripped her blade up through Tsuki's chest and turned to find a new enemy, leaving the once beautiful Tsuki to fall in a heap just a few feet away from the man who loved her more than his own life.

Kai, near death was able to look up for a moment. He could see her, the spirit of the woman who had died first. Michelle, he had heard her called before. It didn't matter. He again looked to Tsuki. She was the last thing he wanted to see.

Tsuki however kept her eyes on the spirit floating above her. Michelle was naked, just as she had been when she died though she was free from wounds and scars. She watched the fighting, tears streaming down her face as she hovered near where she had died. No reaper had come to take her soul and she was unsure of what to do. After a moment, Michelle locked eyes with Tsuki.

"I'm sorry…" Tsuki's voice was strangled and hardly worked. Kai was the only living thing to hear her.

Michelle simply smiled a sad smile and nodded her forgiveness. What was the point? She was dead. She had no reason to be angry any longer, to hold onto the hurts of life. Tsuki smiled softly as she took her last breath.

Kai cried his final tears, reaching out for the woman he loved so dearly, wanting to hold her as she took her last pain filled breaths. As much as he struggled however, she was out of reach when her chest shuddered to a stop and failed to rise again. Kai's death was soon after; he had no more reason to live with her gone.

Michelle watched on with sad eyes as two of her four captors died. Love was such a powerful thing. It could drive a person mad. In the pursuit of love, a person could and would do things that would seem crazy. As she floated above her broken body, she decided that she wouldn't hate Kai or Tsuki. Kai wanted love, she could see that and Tsuki wanted the very same, though she needed a good shrink in Michelle's opinion.

Yes, now that she was dead, all Michelle could give was forgiveness to these two lost souls. She couldn't produce this gem they wanted, she couldn't be this Elemental that they so badly wanted her to be, but she could forgive these two at least.

And then her world faded into black and she was no longer aware of the fighting. Fatal blows had been struck on each side and she wasn't aware of it. Kuwabara held onto life by his fingernails. Hiei had lost his Katana to Suri. Kurama struck down the last of the shadow beings as he made his way to Michelle's cooling body.

Michelle was aware of each of these events, though not sure how, as she was surrounded by black.


	27. Voices

_Hello! Do you all hate me yet? 6 reviews! Man am I feeling loved! Unless I get word on the next chapter sooner, you will see the next one in about a week! I love hearing what you guys think so feel free to leave me some words. It makes me feel like I get to know you guys a little bit and learn what you like. My supervisor has me working on a monster of a AU Inuyasha story that is KILLING me- it has an entire office staff of OCs I have to juggle. _

_MissMarzina, I promise you don't need to eat your feelings again! This chapter is... special. I actually really enjoyed doing this one and it brought back a spark to this story that has carried it past where I planned to end. I found the last few chapters very emotional as well. Thank you for thinking it is so amazing!_

_KioshiUshima, hello again! I hope I haven't given you a heart attack or anything. I hope you enjoy this chapter. I really look forward to your reactions to each chapter so be sure to tell me what you think! 3_

_Mikila94, welcome back! I actually totally get you being disappointed. This is not the story I set out to wright. What you expected, that was the story I intended to write. This ball of crazy however grew legs of its own and took off without me! You know how that is, right? I do intend to touch on cultural differences again later on but I don't feel Kurama could have grown like I needed him to without this. _

_Redrosesandfullmoons, My grandmother is doing much better now. Next week we have another appointment and hopefully she can take the neck brace off soon. Thank you for asking 3 Thank you for the kind words about my writing. I feel as this story has progressed I have grown into my writing a bit, fond my voice and my flow. Ya know?_

_LadyEllesmere, forgive me for my evil ways! 3 Another chapte__r! I hope you enjoy!_

_livtink, I'm so happy you found the last chapter to be worth the wait. I intend to update about once a week so no need to check everyday. But that does make me feel loved! I am happy to hear that I did well capturing suspense, it wasn't something I was sure I would be able to do. I'm also happy to hear I didn't over do it with the flashbacks. I wanted to give information and a bit of backstory without it taking over. _

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26

Black receded around the edges of Michelle's vision. She stood in a forest. Thick tall trees surrounded her. It reminded her of the redwood forests in California. She could feel lush grass under her feet. A soft breeze caressed her naked flesh, but she felt no shame. Rather, she felt peace as she walked between the trees.

The peace she felt was like none she had ever felt before. It was what man sought after, of that she was sure. Was this heaven? She didn't know. She did know that she was completely alone, but not lonely.

The sky was clearly seen between leaves. It was blue and brought a smile to her face. As she walked, she hummed a song she did not know but gave it little thought.

"You are the last." The trees whispered to her.

"Give us life." The breeze called.

She kept walking, undisturbed by the soft voices all around her. She past a small pond and dipped her fingers into the water for a moment.

"Clean us?" the water begged.

Curiosity pulled her forward. What else would this forest ask of her? She wasn't anything special, just a dead girl from Alaska. She walked on. It felt like hours, yet it felt like no time passed at all in this place. The world around her called to her all the while, begging to be given life, to be cleaned, healed and saved.

In the middle of a clearing, a stone pedestal was abandoned. Vines and flowers had been carved into the stone and atop it sat a large leather bound book. The edges of the pages shined bright with the gold leafing.

"You are the last." The grass called.

"Heal us." The trees whispered.

"Let us give you life," a small waterfall called out from the nearby cliff.

"So that you may give our kin life." Finished the flowers.

"But I died." She whispered. It was crazy to be having a conversation with plants and water, but it felt natural in this place of perfect beauty.

"Your life has but just began." The waters answered in their cool voice.

"How?" She asked. Rather than answer, the world around her again began their requests. With a hand that was unexpectedly steady, she touched the book. Upon its cover in shining gold lettering was the very thing she had been accused of being, "Elemental". It was written in flowing script and shined with warmth as her fingers caressed it.

In that sudden moment, she was ripped back to the dark room and the battle.

Below her, Kurama held her body. She looked beyond him to the short man in black whom she had never seen. He fought alongside her friends and so she assumed him to be a friend. Blood poured from the backs of his legs where she somehow knew tendons had been severed. It hurt her heart that this young man would likely never walk again because of her. She questioned for a moment how much longer he could fight off the shadow beings before they took his life.

Kuwabara was sprawled out on the ground, a shadow being coming for him, planning on ending his life. He had no defense, no strength to move. He was her student, and he would die trying to save her.

She glanced over to Yusuke in time to watch him give the death blow to Maki, the disgusting man who had used her as his own personal whore while she was trapped in this place. While she was happy to see the light of life leave the man's eyes, she was saddened knowing that the wounds Yusuke sustained in battle would likely prevent him from living through the battle with the rest of the shadow beings.

Her eyes returned to Kurama. He looked to be a broken man. Blood seeped from his many wounds as he held her body. She questioned for a moment as she floated closer to him, if she should be embarrassed. He had never seen her naked before and yet now he held her naked form and wept silent tears over her.

She glanced down at the blood that had dried between her legs. It would have been obvious to anyone what sort of abuses she had suffered. How she wished she could tell him not to be sad, that she was okay.

All she could do is sit across from him and watch, her own heart breaking at witnessing his sadness. She wondered if the pain of losing someone felt the same to a demon. It looked to her that humans and demons had more in common when it came to emotions than they liked to admit.

It was then that she noticed Suri stalking up behind him, blade held high.

"You have lost." Her voice was calm and level.

"It appears so." His voice sounded as defeated as he looked.

"You going to kill us now or what?" Yusuke called out from where he knelt, holding his organs inside his body. This time team Urameshi has lost and they all were aware that the price of their defeat would be their ever lives.

"Save them." The call was weak but came to her ears from the all directions in the damp room. It was the very same cool voice of the waters in that perfect forest and it seemed she was the only one that could hear it. "Save them, to save us." It whispered again.

Near her knee the hand of her dead body clutched the river stone still. Michelle felt so lost, as she felt tears roll down her face. She needed something to clear her mind, to help her think.

With shaking fingers she reached out to the stone. It was silly, but she seemed to always have it when she needed it. Somehow it managed to stay with her through all this time, through her torture right to her death. That stupid rock she found in the river as a child, a lifetime ago.

When her fingers made contact, a bright light erupted from the stone, shocking all in the room. Suri froze as the light bound her in the process of dealing a death blow to the kneeling Kurama.

The light filled the room and before their eyes, Michelle's spirit came into view. Her own wide eyes met Kurama's as he watched her form materialize, kneeling behind her body with her fingers just touching the stone.

"Mich-" His voice was soft, but cut off as the stone floated from the cold hand of the corpse in his arms.

Michelle's spirit again floated, still remaining in contact with the stone by her fingertips. Light shone from deep within the stone as its surface cracked and fell apart, leaving behind a small gem and the source of the light. Eyes returned to Michelle who was floating elegantly. Her left arm was floating off to her side and her knees had a slight bend. An unfelt breeze blew back the clean wavy red hair on her head.

She was beautiful in a way Kurama had never seen. Michelle's spirit's skin glowed softly. He set the corpse on the ground softly and stood, leaving Michelle's dead body behind as he took a few steps to her spirit.

The purity was amazing to Hiei. He watched as she glowed with a divine light that he was sure had long ago been purged all the realms. The power this spirit could contain was not lost to him.

"The gem…" Suri breathed.

Michelle's fingers fell from the surface of the gem. It floated before her face. All eyes were on her as with each bellow of the unfelt wind, Michelle's hair grew longer and lighter in color. Before long, her hair was dancing in the breeze around her feet and was a white, tinged with blue that matched the color of the glaciers she had seen as a child.

Michelle closed her green eyes as she listened to the whispers of the water. When she opened them again, they shined a blue that matched the sky of that perfect forest with a cold lighter blue swimming within. She looked out as she floated in the air, feeling her body become more and more solid as she watched her friends. She could hear each drop of their lifeblood while it poured out from them.

The light seemed to solidify and weave into of deep blue ribbons that shined like silk. The blue fabric wrapped around her slender frame. Had she always been this slender? She was sure not, but now her spirit's frame was long and thin. She hadn't even felt the change, yet at some point it had to have happened.

Ribbons bound together and formed a traditional Kimono. The innermost robe was a dark blue, while the outer robe was nearly white, just as her hair and around her shoulders hung a deep blue robe with lighter blue flowers. The robes where tied closed with an sash that looked to have been made of spun sliver.

With one last flash of light, her hair was adorned with white moonflowers and lilies.

Kurama had ventured closer, holding his arm tight against the worst of his wounds.

With a cry of force, Suri ripped herself from the last of her binds and moved to plunge her scale sword into Kurama's back.

It was all over once Michelle's now pupiless Ice blue eyes locked on to Suri. With little effort she called forth a wave of power that flowed out like water yet burned her enemies as if it was fire. The liquid fire however, left her friends unharmed.

As the flames licked at their wounds they felt a soothing cold, much as they had felt in the past when Yukina would heal them. Before their eyes, flesh and bone mended in perfect place. Not even a scar was left behind.

Both the mending and destroying of flesh happened at the very same time, born of the very same burst of power. In that short moment, the battle was over. Young men stood, looked around and found themselves to be very alone.

It was a battle they had been sure they had lost. Each had been waiting for their death and yet, in one simple burst of power they had become victorious.

As the glow from the gem adorning her forehead slowly died out, the woman who once had been Michelle's spirit descended to the floor. Her landing was soft, elegant and in no way fitting of the woman she had once been.


	28. Leaving

_So this is unbetaed due to the amazing dumbrat's amazing ability to kill whatever computer she looks at in record time. The woman is cursed, I swear to god! I actually really like this chapter. It felt amazing to write this after what she had been through and I'm loving exploring Michelle's new body. I'm also really excited to bring Hiei in more, though he doesn't play a large part of this story. _

_Redroseseandfullmoons- Thanks for the review!_

_KioshiUshima- Is she a kami? Is kami is but a spirit who is so strong as to act as the divine and makes the choice to act in such a manner? Some myths play earth kin as what came before, caretakers of the earth and its people before the gods gave them consideration. In many ways, my elementals hold close to this type of myth. That's all I'm saying on that for now. :)_

_Kurotiger, Here you go!_

_Holy shit, guys! We hit 104 reviews! I love you all! I had no confidence when I started on this. I dreaded posting but wanted to put myself out there to force myself to get over my low opinion of myself. I wanted to force myself not to care what people thought. Now I'm excited when the weekend comes and it is post time! _

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27

They were all staring at her. Confusion was clear on their faces and she didn't have any answers for them. She held her shaking hands out in front of her. They were long and slender, each finger just a bit longer than natural. Her wrists were thin and long, just as the fest of her felt.

Pulling her eyes away from the alien appendages, she looked up to lock eyes with emeralds. When she spoke, her voice sounded foreign to her own ears. It was a smooth musical sound, similar to what she had heard in the voices in that peaceful forest.

"What happened to me?" Cloth shuffled as she took a step. Her voice was soft and reflected her fear in its musical tones.

"Michelle?" Kurama whispered. He was in his own world and not aware of much of his surroundings. He was terrified that this wasn't real, that she wasn't real, wasn't really Michelle. She didn't look like her and she didn't sound like her. After long steps, he could smell it- that unique scent of moonflowers that always lingered, she smelt like his Michelle.

In that moment, he enveloped her in his arms as his knees buckled. She didn't resist, her own knees were not willing to support her and they feel to their knees together, his body supporting her weight. Her eyes were wide and her confusion was easy to read. Over his shoulder, she could see her body yet somehow she was in the middle of the room in a different body.

"I don't understand." She murmured, clutching at his ruined shirt. She could feel how tired his body was, though she couldn't explain how exactly she could know such a thing.

"You're alive." His voice was heavy with the weight of the emotions running wild. "I don't know how, but you are alive." He clutched at her kimono. It was a few more moments before she buried herself in his chest and wept, clinging to him for dear life.

For the first time she could remember she wept tears of joy. He came for her and she was safe. It was something she hadn't even dared to dream about in the last few weeks. She had given up. She had prayed for death. She got her wish, the image of her own dead body was burned into her mind and yet somehow, she was safe in Kurama's arms.

"So, Lovebirds! Can we get the hell out of here now?" Yusuke broke the moment. The woman who Michelle had become nodded into Kurama's shoulder, she very much wanted to be away from this place. Her soul cried out for the outside world, for trees and water.

Hiei stood back near the abandoned body. Their enemy's bodies had all been destroyed in the blast yet somehow hers was left untouched. He poked at the body with his foot. It was very much dead, not that he had any doubt. It was curious how Michelle's soul was able to gather enough power to solidify into a very real body on its own.

He felt the power that came from the spirit body was immense. For her to have so much power was amazing. It made no sense to him, considering that she was for the most part an everyday human. He saw very clearly the power she had and yet he couldn't sense any power from her. Hiei settled for observing the others, she mattered not to him.

Kurama stood, pulling Michelle up onto her feet. She still clutched at his shirt. Yusuke and Kuwabara joined them in the center of the room, wanting to check on her themselves. They both also wanted to see first hand the changes in her.

"One hell of a makeover…" Yusuke commented with a whistle.

"Michelle still in there?" Kuwabara asked, half joking.

"Shut up! We saw her change, idiot!" Yusuke yelled at Kuwabara before redirecting his attention to Michelle. "So, what made this happen?"

"I don't know." Michelle mumbled, hiding herself in Kurama's chest. "Can we just leave here?" She begged.

Unheard by the men the water whispered, "Release. Forgiveness. Peace." Though Michelle couldn't make out the soft words as they were distorted, echoing over each other.

Yusuke and Kuwabara took lead as they made their way to the stairs. Kurama kept a firm grip on Michelle, offering her any support she may need. He didn't know how strong her body was, just that it housed incredible power.

When Michelle went to walk however, she quickly found herself tripping over her own feet. Although her actual height was much the same as before she died, her limbs actually were longer now, leaving her with a smaller more petite torso. Her attempt at walking on these new, longer, more slender legs resembled that of a newborn fawn in many ways. Under different circumstances, anyone could find such a sight hilarious. No one laughed.

She was unsure of her footing as well as how to coordinate her limbs to walk well. She wondered if this was what boys felt like when they would suddenly shoot up a few inches in height during puberty. The only thing that saved her from falling onto the dingy ground was Kurama's firm grip on her waist.

"Let me carry you?" He offered, though in all reality if she refused him he intended to do as he wished anyway. They would never make it out of the tower at the pace she was setting, stumbling over her own legs.

She nodded though she wished she could hold her head high and walk out of her prison she just couldn't seem to get her legs under her. The ground seemed to be farther away, though she didn't seem taller. She again examined her hands and arms best she could. They seemed longer, more slender than she was used to. Michelle wondered if she looked like a real life version of an anime character with her exaggerated features.

"Please," She nearly begged, tears gathering in her eyes only for her to blink them away. "I want to go home." She nuzzled into his neck and shoulder as he swept her up into his arms. She felt the strength in Kurama's body as he held her.

"We cannot cover that much distance tonight." He spoke softly after a pause. He would have given anything at that moment to be able to grant her request. It simply wasn't possible however. It had taken them weeks of travel in the Makai to find Michelle and now they would have to travel for at least a few days at good speed to make it to a portal.

"I don't want to be here anymore." She whined, just wanting to be away from this place.

"Don't worry, we won't stay here." Yusuke cut in.

"Yeah!" Kuwabara voiced his agreement. "But, where can we go?" He asked dumbly. They had camped in the wilderness when they had previously stopped to rest- though breaks had been far and few between. In Kuwabara's opinion, that was not a proper arrangement for a lady.

"I had kept a den near here. It should still be sealed. We can rest and recover there." Kurama's offer was acceptable to all. They needed to rest.

"Den?" Michelle questioned. They had made it a good way down the stairs now. She couldn't see the trail of her blood any longer and that made her feel better.

"Yes. My home of sorts." He hesitated for a moment before continuing. "From before I was reborn as Shuuichi."

"Oh." Was all she offered as a response. Truthfully she had forgotten of his less then human nature for a moment. She had simply wanted him to come for her. At the reminder however, for a moment she was scared though it passed quickly. He wouldn't hurt her, of that she was sure. For the most part.

Kurama was aware the very moment the sour scent of fear spiked. He was pleased when it quickly receded, leaving the pure scent of moonflowers behind again. It worried him however, that a reminder of his demonic nature would cause her such fear.

They walked in silence the rest of the way to the den. Every time Kuwabara would go to open his mouth to say anything more than a simple complaint Yusuke would jab him in the ribs. Nothing felt right to say at that time. They had all seen her body. The trails of blood leading down her legs left little doubt as to what she had been through.

Each of them wished to go back and kill Maki repeatedly. They had little doubt as to who defiled their friend in such a way. Yet not one of them even got the satisfaction of even killing him the first time. No, each was aware of how close they had come to death on this mission. In the end, they did not save her. She saved them. The knowledge they owed her their lives after everything she had been through weighed heavy on their minds and hearts.

Hiei had his own reasons for his anger, the situation reminded him far too much of Yukina. As far as he was aware, she was never touched in such a way in her captivity. It was a topic she didn't seem to speak of ever. He never searched her mind for the answer to that dreaded question however. Part of him didn't want to know. The thought of his sister brought the situation into a new light in his mind. He wouldn't have wanted her body left in such a place, even if she was reborn into another body. Yet they left that woman's broken corpse where she died. It troubled him, however he didn't voice his concerns. Rather he made a mental note to see to it later.

Kurama however was lost in his own torrent of emotions. He was so glad to have her back, to hold her in his arms. Though her appearance was different, she seemed for the most part to be the same in mind as well as in soul. He hated that he wasn't the one to save her and felt guilty for all the harm that had come to her. Above all, he worried and maybe even feared that she would fear demons because of what she had been through.

No, that wasn't exactly the truth. He couldn't care less if she feared demons. She had every right to. Humans should fear demons. Yet he dreaded the thought of her fearing him. He didn't want to lose her, just because of what he was. The pain of her disappearance was still fresh and he remembered well the soul shattering panic that gripped him when he watched her very life come to an end.

No, he wouldn't lose her again. But, what would he do if she no longer wanted him?

When did he start to care this much? It left him confused. Never once had he cared this much if he parted ways with a woman. He had left many without so much as a word, just as he had done to Tsuki all those years ago. Yet now he didn't want to allow Michelle out of his sight. What was he to do if she no longer wished to be by his side.

Once they made it outside of the tower Michelle visibly relaxed for a moment but soon pressed her ear to Kurama's chest. Her hand clutched at her other ear. She was overwhelmed. From everywhere she could hear faint voices, whispering.

The grasses rejoiced to be in her very presence. The air around Michelle was cleaned of the toxic poisons that made human life in Makai unsustainable for long periods of time. The voices of grasses and trees sung her praises as the cleaned air caressed their leaves.

"What's wrong?" Kurama asked, worried to see her hiding.

"So many voices…" She mumbled. "Please, too many voices. So much noise" she whimpered. The voices slowly fell silent. They hadn't wanted to trouble her but had been so thankful to be clean.

"Should we stop?" Kuwabara asked, not liking the pained look on Michelle's face. Kurama nuzzled her when she failed to answer.

"I'm okay." She lied. "I want to be as far from here as I can." With the voices gone, she had some measure of peace. The only thing that disturbed her during the rest of the hike to the den was her own memories when she would doze off.


	29. Den

_Sorry to update a few days late. With the holidays coming up I'm looking at biweekly updates for the next month and a half. Just heads up. This is a hectic time of year in my house with Thanksgiving thursday then my birthday on the 4th, a trip to see family for Christmas then another trip for New Years all with a toddler in toe. Hope I survive! I really loved this chapter for its simple peace. We are in a bit of a lull before we address the damage done. Then, that's it. Looking at 35 chapters, up 5 from what I expected. Beta's still out of a laptop so this hasn't been beta'ed yet but I did give it a read through. This posting is her first read through as well! Hope its decent ._

_Welcome and thank you to the new followers! We are nearing the end here but I hope to see you all around for my next project! o/_

_MissMarzia- so happy you find my writing to be of good quality. :) I hope you enjoy this chapter. _

_Kioshi- hope you enjoy!_

_3,111 words this time! Enjoy!_

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28

Michelle was able to relax into Kurama's arms for most of the trip. Whenever she would hear something in the bushes or trees she would tense up however he was quick to reassure her with soft words. After a few hours Kuwabara and Yusuke felt comfortable to talk, bicker and complain, albeit not nearly as loudly as they normally would. Everyone was ever so mindful of the woman he carried.

She however didn't offer any conversation herself. She was content to listen, not wanting to trust herself to words. Every so often she would catch glimpses of the small man clad in black in the tree tops, always keeping well hidden. It appeared that he was scouting ahead and doubling back or maybe he was watching both their front and their backs. Maybe he was just bored with the walk. Michelle couldn't say, she didn't know the man.

"Who is he?" She mumbled, more to herself than anyone else. The conversation stopped at the sound of her voice. She didn't mean to speak and really would have preferred to have remained silent. The man in black looked down at her with his vivid red eyes before continuing on, leaping through the trees at a impressive speed.

"Who is she talking about?" Kuwabara asked.

"His name is Hiei, he is an old friend of mine." Kurama was surprised she had noticed his presence when Kuwabara appeared not to have.

"I though he left?" Kuwabara's voice reflected his shock.

"He's been in the trees." Yusuke offered.

"What? Why? He think he's too good to walk with us?!"

"He has been clearing the path for us. Did you not think it strange that we have been allowed to travel in peace? Have you forgotten the trouble we went through to get here before?" Kurama's explanation was accepted unchallenged, leaving Kuwabara to grumble about how he could take any demon that challenged them.

Yusuke and Kurama both allowed the conversation to die. They didn't need a fight when in all reality though Michelle seemed to be handling things well, it could just be the calm before the storm.

It took another two hours of walking to reach what looked to be a wall covered in vines and roots. Kurama wasted no time calling the vines to the side and exposing the entrance. With the vines out of the way Michelle could see that the opening was a gap in some massive tree roots. The tree itself seemed to grow out of the side of the of the rocky cliff face and tight along the cliff.

The darkness scared her. She didn't want to be in the darkness anymore. The cell was dark, the tower was dark. "Please," she whimpered. "It's too dark." Again, she spoke without meaning to. It sounded pathetic and she didn't like that.

Before her eyes, hardly a second after she spoke, flower buds she hadn't even been able to see in the darkness bloomed. Held inside the flower's petals were small globs of light. Each ball lit up a small portion of the cave. Their light was weak but they made up for it in their numbers. Flowers grew along the path, up the walls and some even hung from the ceiling of the cave.

Kurama was thankful when the scent of her fear receded. He didn't want her to feel fear ever again. Yet he knew that he could never dispel all of her fears. The things he was feeling made little sense to him.

He knew the entrance of the den was beautiful sight, though that was not the plants purpose. Aged memories didn't do the sight justice however. He had placed these flowers a century ago purely because they would provide light. Now though, as he stepped into the cave, he was immensely grateful for his choice in light source.

Michelle's breath caught in her throat at the sight. It was so very pretty. It was beyond anything she had seen before. The glow that took over the cave made it look like the home of fairies. As Kurama carried her, he walked near the wall. It surprised him when she reached out and brushed her fingers along the flowers. The look of wonder on her face warmed his heart in a way he hadn't expected. He was so thankful that something in this cursed world would bring that look to her face and proud that it was something he planted.

When her fingers touched the flower petals she could hear them. Their voices were so musical, just as pretty as they looked. The flowers welcomed her in their sing song voice. In the forest she felt the voices of the world around her to be overwhelming. Here though, she felt at ease. Though there were many flowers, they spoke as one, with one voice and it was tolerable. She didn't have the chatter of so many different plants trying to talk over each other.

"Almost there." Kurama answered an unasked question. It didn't prevent the complaining in the last nearly half hour of the walk but at least he tried. He was tired and if he had to listen to the bickering and complaining for even another hour he would have taken off in a run and left the two behind.

Michelle wished she could walk. She wanted to walk but feared she wouldn't be able to get her legs under her. He sounded so tired and her weight was just another thing for him to carry. She promised herself that tonight while the others slept she would find her legs again. Being so helpless that she couldn't even walk was not something she found enjoyable.

The cave opened up into a large cavern. The flowers inside were larger and provided more light. Fine fabrics and furs were draped everywhere and seemed to carpet much of the floor. The room was awash in various rich colors. In the center of the cavern the ground dipped down about four feet and a bench was cut out of the stone itself. In the center a fire pit had sat complete with the blackened remnants of a long burned out fire. A few tunnels ran off in different directions however much of the den was contained in this one room.

Logs sat against the mouth of the cave and Kurama wasted no time directing Yusuke to start a fire to warm the room. Above the fire pit hung a rather odd bush like plant that thrived off of smoke and allowed the safe use of a fire even in such a confined area without so much as the room getting smoky.

Not that Yusuke questioned the sanity of having a fire so deep in a cave. He was far too tired to think such things through. All he was aware of was that once the sun set it would get cold, not that the cave was very warm in the first place.

"What is this place?" Kuwabara asked in amazement.

"The fox's den, can you still not retain information?" Came Hiei's answer. He was aware that the idiot didn't word his question correctly and had meant to ask more about the den, but he couldn't pass up the chance to get a jab in.

"Nice place you got." Yusuke commented as he added a few larger logs to the fire.

"Yes. It was my preferred den. My most recent as well." Kurama commented lightly as he set Michelle in on a plush oversized pillow near the fire.

"How many you got?" Kuwabara asked, looking around at the fine silk that was allowed to just rest on the ground.

"I have just this den at the moment. My others likely had been taken over a long while ago. Only I could allow access to this one." He spoke as he looked around to assess what supplies he had. "I'll be right back." He said, mostly to Michelle as he left down one of the side passages.

As he expected, a few of his plants hadn't dealt with his long absence well but others still bore fruit. He gathered what was safe for human consumption into a basket he had kept in the room. So rare these plants were, to thrive in darkness. The fruit wasn't enough, but it would be a start. Kurama could only hope that Hiei had left to hunt some game as he left the group before making it into the den.

When he returned with the fruit, he was met with excited hollering and cheering from his comrades. Michelle had managed to stand and had made her way closer to the fire, seeking its warmth. She watched the smoke eating bush as he passed the fruit out.

"Is everything alright?" He asked, sitting next to her with their share of the food. He worried a bit that the strange plants would frighten her.

"It's happy you have returned. It was hungry." She mumbled. Her voice was soft and unsure allowing her words to go unheard by the louder members of the group.

Kurama looked up at the dark bush quickly. He never had given the plant more than a spare thought. It served his needs and was safe to have nearby. It was one of the few plants that in all reality were completely harmless. One could even eat it, if in a pinch though it was not commonly considered food due to its taste. It was said it would taste like a mouth full of ashes and would over power all other tastes though he did not know such from experience. Eating the plant was not something he desired to try.

"It's happy?" He asked, somewhat shocked that she would say such a thing. That the plant was hungry he had no doubt but she made it seem like the plant was capable of emotions and sentient thought. The very idea was ludicrous and he worried if this was a reaction to the trauma she had suffered.

"Yes, I can hear it purring." She looked down at her hands. It occurred to her then that she sounded mad. Why would she expect him to not question her, to believe her? Maybe she was mad.

Before the conversation could continue a shift in the air could be felt. The vines and roots that guarded the entrance had to have been parted, allowing the stale air outside to invade the cave. Michelle hadn't noticed before that her presence had been cleaning and purifying the air around her but was able to pick up on the shift.

"Awww it was just getting easy to breath here!" Kuwabara complained. With the air clean the demon realm was more hospitable to humans and Kuwabara was able to feel the difference. Michelle never had trouble breathing the air from the moment she was taken.

Before she died she didn't have access to these abilities or powers, not that she knew how to control them now, but she felt safe to assume to some degree they protected her from the very start. She remembered not being cold when she danced in the rain. Feeling safe swimming in the ocean and running through the dense woodlands of her childhood home.

She had been watching the dark cave that they had entered through. She knew the opening in the roots was again closed but no one actually worried about who was coming their way. It was safe to assume that it was because they already knew who it was and that they would not be a threat. Michelle had a hard time allowing that thought to put her to ease however. The glowing plants no longer lit the hall and the darkness she looked into scared her.

What also scared her were the glowing red eyes she saw moving through the darkness. Her breath caught in her throat and she started shaking. Those eyes, they were moving so fast through the blackness and the way the shone, no human eyes could light up like that. She had seen the same glow in every demon's eyes she had encounter.

Kurama was fast to act when the scent of fear washed through the room. He knew Hiei had returned but was not expecting her to react like this. He assumed she was watching for him, perhaps to great him when he returned. As he gathered her into his arms he felt like the biggest fool in all the worlds. She didn't know Hiei and he was a demon. In the back of his mind he reminded himself that he was a demon as well but he silenced that voice. He was different, she knew that. She wouldn't fear him.

Would she?

Hiei entered the room in a rush and dumped an animal on the ground. It was large, resembling a cross between a deer and a boar with dark brown fur. The creature looked strong. It was also very much dead, of that there could be no doubt.

Its neck was slashed open down to the bone and Hiei had allowed the blood to drain from the creature as he made his way back to the den. It would be enough to feed them all for a few days and what they didn't eat could be made into a sort of jerky to be eaten as they traveled.

He didn't expect the fox's woman's reaction to seeing him. He hadn't intended to frighten the girl. It was only his goal to return swiftly. Hiei had traveled fast enough through the caves that the glowing flowers hadn't had a chance to light his way, not that he had needed them.

He stood next to the carcass as he watched the fox comfort Michelle. He hadn't really had the chance to meet the girl but it was clear to him how much Kurama cared for the girl. She was a curiosity. A living breathing elemental- it would seem the only of her kind. She was not human, but not demon.

Hiei was an apparition born of the elements yet he was very clearly a demon. His power spoke as such. Could the elemental apparitions be descended from the elemental spirits? He didn't really know, nor did he have any idea how one would go about finding out. Elementals were a touchy subject in the Spirit world, seemingly erased from the records.

"Good job Shrimp, you scared her!" Kuwabara was yelling at him. She was watching him from behind her hair, safe in the fox's arms. She no longer trembled but fear was still in her wide eyes. She didn't know him; she had no reason to trust him. If he was to travel with them, she would need to trust him.

Hiei had agreed to help them bring the girl home, not just rescue her and though the wording of the agreement wasn't given much thought he intended to do as he agreed and bring the girl home. To do so, he had to travel with them. For once in his life, he needed to make someone trust him. Hiei wasn't sure if it was something he knew how to do.

A low rumble poured from Kurama's chest and Michelle clung to him. It was a sound that came to him by instinct, used by male foxes to comfort their young. Kurama didn't remember the sound from when he was a kit as well, nor was he sure he could create such a sound in his human body but it came from him as easy as breathing. He was surprised at first when it actually worked and the woman in his arms relaxed some.

She still held tight to him. Every so often a shiver would go through her body. The fire had done much to warm the room but it was still chilly. She never allowed her eyes to leave Hiei. Michelle remembered him from the tower, fighting alongside the others but still, now that she was free she did not know him. Yusuke and Kuwabara talked about him as if he was a cold blooded killer.

She tried to sink deeper into Kurama's arms when Hiei began walking closer to them. He moved slow, keeping a close eye on her as she listened to the deep rumble from Kurama's chest. He wouldn't let this small man in black hurt her, right?

Hiei had noticed that she still shivered from the cold. He didn't know how to say comforting words; he didn't know how to tell her he wouldn't hurt her. Words were something he wasn't well versed in. That was the fox's domain. So he did the only thing he could think to do was offer her a physical comfort in a way.

He knelt before them, ignoring the confused commotion coming from the humans in the room. She never stopped watching him as he placed his hand on the stone bench, near her outstretched legs. The stone was still cold to the touch. Slowly, he warmed the stone around Kurama, careful not to make it too hot.

The room became silent while he worked. A show of consideration was not something they would normally expect to see from Hiei and to say the least they had been caught off guard.

Michelle's slender hand reached out, near his and she softly brushed her fingertips against the warm stone. Her eyes were large still, though now more from wonder than fear. The stone under her fingertips was warm, though she already knew that from the warmth seeping into her legs.

To do such a thing the small man would have to be a fire master, she reasoned. Was he like her? No, she didn't know how she knew it, but she knew he wasn't like her. Michelle's fingers went up to brush against the gem at the center of her forehead. He didn't have one, she felt sure of it.

He left the bench and went to the fire.

"You idiots could at least butcher the beast." He snapped at Yusuke and Kuwabara who had been making fun of him for his actions.

"The hell is this thing?" Yusuke asked, kicking it with his foot.

"Dinner, idiot." Hiei was flowing his energy into the fire, just as he did with the stone. Black flames danced with the orange, white, red and yellow of the natural fire. The fire itself grew much larger, though it did not put out any additional smoke. The heat now traveled better and warmed the room more efficiently than it had before.

As suddenly as he came, Hiei left through another passageway.

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_I really think Hiei doesn't get enough credit. I don't buy how most people write him, just as I don't buy in to how many write Kurama. I don't think he is evil, I don't think he is as cold as he puts on. He is guarded but I think considering his past, what happened to Michelle would bother him. I think it would get to him, yeah. _

_Let me know what you think? _


	30. To the bath (29)

_So yeah . Things have been stupid busy for me lately with all the holidays. You probably wont see another update until after the new year. So far after thanksgiving we have had 3 birthdays already (Mine included!), a holiday party at my work and coming up we have a holiday party at my Boyfriend's work. Oi! Then we are looking at another 3 birthdays before Christmas! Then! (yes, another then!) Traveling 360 miles (on Christmas fucking Eve!) with a 2.5 year old to do Christmas morning with grandma and great grandma! Leave a toddler with them for 2 weeks, drive 360 miles home. Turn around 2 weeks later and repeat the trip to bring a toddler and great grandma home! I think maybe I should just move into the car, ne?_

_KioshiUshima! I can always count on you giving me character insight! I really appreciate that as one of the now 3 (oi) stories I am working on in addition to this is a Hiei x OC. You never actually said if my Hiei was trash or not though . I do think a lot of Hiei is contradictions, Fire vs Ice and the elements very natures fighting against each other. It is easy to see that fire dominates Hiei but that does not make the ice go away. Add to that consent turmoil a great trauma and well, yeah. I try my best to show demons as demons and not make them fit into the human box. I do hope to do just as well with Hiei as I have done with Kurama. But that story wont be posted until sometime in the summer- I want to have a large chunk of it written and ready to go so I don't end up with gaps in postings. _

_ElementalFox101- so happy for you to join us! You have no idea how happy it makes me to know you binge read this story. I find myself only doing that to ones I find really good so I take it as a great compliment. We don't have much left on this now. Just some healing and cleaning up. But I hope you and everyone enjoy it. _

_Posts are going to be a bit few and far between. You are now caught up with what I have written. The last 5 chapters will be slow in coming as I'm still writing chapter 30! It was nice to be able to post at this pace while it lasted!_

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29

As the boys butcher the large beast, Michelle relaxed fully into Kurama's lap. She rested her head on his shoulder. She could feel the vibrations in his chest as he continued to rumble his deep purr. Yusuke and Kuwabara soon had bits of meat hanging over the fire to cook.

"What's the sound you're making?" Michelle asked as she looked up at Kurama, curiosity bright in her eyes. She was so tired but she didn't want to sleep yet. Truthfully she was scared to sleep. That sound however, was going to lull her to sleep.

"It is a sound fox demons use to comfort their young." He didn't think much on the answer but regretted it the moment he felt her flinch in his arms at the reminder of his demon nature. That very fact felt like a knife in his heart. He wondered if she would reject him now.

After fighting so hard to get her back, after nearly dyeing for her the thought killed him. Yet he knew in his heart that he would accept her choice to leave. He didn't know if he would be able to control the urge to keep other males away from her, but he would try to allow her happiness with another if that became her wish. For whatever reason, he would let his treasure go after the price he paid to get her back. It was madness in his mind. He was always possessive by nature; to even be willing to allow another to have what was his shocked him. Was this what humans called 'love'?

"Oh." Was all she said at first. "So I'm a kid now?" Michelle tried to joke. She was not unaware of his inner turmoil. When she had flinched at the word 'demon' his whole body stiffened. It wasn't intentional. She knew she was safe with him. At least, that is what she kept telling herself.

"Compared to me, you are but a kit." He playfully nuzzled her head. No, he wouldn't let this come between them. Not if he could help it. She was his; he would keep her by his side. Somehow he would send away her fears.

"Now mister, my ID says otherwise!" She poked him in the chest as she laughed. For now, her fears are forgotten as she reaches for the cooked food. She is freed from that half-starved body but the memories of painful hunger are still fresh. Even if she wasn't hungry, she probably would nibble at something now. Just to know that she could.

They all talk and joke as they eat. It would be easy to forget all they had been though in the last few weeks. From the laughter one wouldn't guess the horrors the young woman had seen. They sounded like a group of friends on a camping trip. Yet everyone tried not to look at Michelle for too long. Her very form was a reminder of why they had come here and what she had been through.

Michelle was surprised to find the food actually tasted good. The fruit was sweet and juicy and the meat was flavorful considering the lack of seasoning. She was sure she should have been concerned if these foods were safe for human consumption but decided if she was to die now, oh well. At least she would have had one last meal with her friends. That is more than she could have said the last time she died.

As she ate however, Michelle could hear whispered calls from down one of the cordons. She couldn't make out the words, only the alluring voice. It sounded warm, welcoming and inviting. It sounded like a place she wanted to be. Noticing that she seemed to be the only one to hear this voice, she tried to ignore it but often found herself stealing quick glances in that direction.

"Everything okay?" Yusuke askes, having noticed Michelle looking past his shoulder at one of the dark pathways that lead away from the cavern.

"What's that way?" She asks, pointing. The sweet voice kept calling to her.

"A hot spring." Kurama answered. "It should still be nice, would you like to bathe?" His fingers ran through the loose stands of her light blue hair. It was a color he would have to get used to. He had rather liked her red hair, a shade that lit up like fire when it caught the sun. This light blue seemed to shimmer in the firelight and looked much like ice.

Michelle nodded her head shyly. She knew she wasn't really dirty or in need of a bath but some alone time sounded pleasant. It sounded like something she needed. Maybe the water was what was calling to her? She decided maybe she was just going crazy.

"I'll show you the way." Kurama offered, standing up and offering her his hand. She swayed a bit on her feet at first but was able to find her balance. "Would you like me to carry you?" He offered, concerned and not wanting to watch her stumble through the hall.

"No, I need to learn how to do this." She sounded sure, more sure than she felt. Learning to coordinate her new limbs was something she needed to do however. To prove her point, she took a small step.

They walked together, slowly through the cave like hall. She walked slowly but no longer resembled a new born fawn, for that she was grateful. She didn't realize that the longer she walked, the more graceful her stride became. Once away from the others, they fell into a heavy silence for a spell.

"I'm sorry." Michelle whispered. The soft sound of her voice shattered that silence. Her words stopped Kurama dead in his tracks. She continued before he could put a thought together. "You all almost died coming for me. I was okay with dying."

Tears gathered in her eyes as she looked at his shoes. She didn't know what she would have done if they had all died. She was surprised when Kurama's strong arms first gripped her shoulders, and then he threw those arms around her and clutched her to his chest as if his very life depended on it.

"Don't ever apologize. Don't ever die on me." His voice was calm, yet she could hear that fragile thread of control. "I would go through it all again; a hundred times over to be sure you are safe." He needed to be strong for her, needed to hold himself together for her. Kurama's emotions are still raw, his heart still mending from watching her die. It truly left him terrified how much he needed this woman.

"Kura-" He continued to talk, not letting her speak.

"I couldn't save you. You saved me." His hand found its way into the hair at the base of her head as he pulled away from her some. "You saved me." He repeated, as he softly kissed her. They both thought that maybe, just maybe he was talking about more than just today but neither broke the kiss to speak such thoughts.

She melted into his arms as his lips moved against hers. The kiss was a sweet and full of longing. Though the kiss he tried to show her how much he needed without revealing his primal nature. He didn't want to scare her or remind her of what she had been though. In her opinion, he pulled away far too soon but she didn't press for more. She wasn't ready for passion.

The silence was much lighter as they began walking again, hand in hand. She felt better on her feet with the practice. She could almost keep up with him. Their path was lit by glowing flowers the whole way until they came to an opening in the rock covered with a deep red curtain. She could smell the water and hear the voices of plants in addition to the sing song voice of the water.

Again the plants and water cried out to be cleansed and offered her their welcome before she was even in the room. She hoped that they would talk less after she got into the bath.

Kurama stepped in front of her before she could move through the make shift doorway with a smile on his face. He told her to wait as he disappeared behind the fabric. Michelle shifted on her feet as she waited. She really just wanted to get in a hot bath but she waited and listened as he fussed about.

Before long, she was instructed to close her eyes. Michelle felt silly, all this fuss and she just wanted to soak but she did comply easily enough. His strong hands enveloped her hands as she was pulled into the room. Kurama took care to guide her away from anything she could trip over. She could smell the water and hear the joyous cries of the water and plants.

Soon his hands left hers as Kurama moved behind her. He draped his arms around her shoulders and hugged her back against his chest.

"You can look now." He wanted to show her as much beauty in the demon world, his world, as he could. Kurama was well aware that he couldn't erase what happened to her but just maybe they would be okay if he could bring some balance to the events.

Michelle sucked in a breath as she took in the sight that greeted her. Glowing flowers and candles both scattered around the room giving it a soft glow. She could see flowering plants gathered on the edge of the springs. Steam wafted up off the water, offering a promise that it was warm, maybe even hot. On the side of the room shelves held towels and simple Kimono and Hakama in what looked to be a few sizes.

In baskets near the edge of the pool items, plants and flowers had been gathered in bags, small baskets and jars. Kurama pulls her toward the baskets and offers a quick lesson on what items are for what. Different plant stalks contained saps that work well as soaps, each plant having a unique scent. He showed her the jarred honey like substances gathered from insects much like bees that would compare to conditioner for her hair.

Also in the baskets she was shown a collection of bath salts and oils. Kurama was quick to point out that much like the smoke eating bush in the main cavern, he kept plants in the pool that would clean these things from the water overnight. Michelle was amazed. The man seemed to have a plant for everything!

"I'll be nearby. If you need anything at all, just call." Kurama offered, not wanting to leave her alone yet for his own selfish reasons. Was it ridiculous to fear she would disappear in thin air? Probably, but that didn't offer his heart much comfort.

"I'll be fine. You can go back to the others, if you want." She didn't want to cause him any trouble. Kurama just smiled at her from the doorway.

"Call if you need anything." He offered again as he slipped out of the room.

Alone at last.

Alone for the first time since she died.

Michelle looked around the room again. It was a vision out of a fairy tale. She wondered if this is what the bath houses of the fae would look like. Such a silly thought. A smile graced her lips as she pushed the thought away.

Noticing a standing mirror near the cloth covered doorway, she made her way to it. Walking was getting easier the more she did it.

Now was the first time she got a look at herself. Long fingers traced her pale face as she took in the changes. Michelle found her eyes to be particularly haunting. Without a clearly defined pupil she was surprised she could actually see. The soft silver blue of her hair however was a drastic change.

Michelle shrugged off the dark blue outer coat to expose her kimono. It was certainly a pretty one. She couldn't complain, it matched her new appearance well, as if it was made for her. Maybe it was? She couldn't remember where it came from, just that one moment she was naked, then she had ribbons caressing her skin then a kimono.

"I guess it was made for me…" Her voice was soft. Talking to herself, a sure sign of insanity. Or so she has always been told.

Reaching behind her she tugged on the bow and knot that held her obi in place. After a few minutes of working at it, the ribbon came free. The silk slipped from her fingers and fell to the floor around her feet. The light blue outer robe fell open, revealing the deep blue nagajuban.

She marveled at the stark contrast. She had never seen one wear such a light kimono with the inner robe so dark. Normally she would see the dark on the outside and the light color under. Her fingers danced over the floral pattern stitched into the light blue silk. It was so subtle that the flowers would easily be missed but she found that she loved it anyway.

She loosed the thin sash holding the last robe closed and let both layers fall from her shoulders. She stood now, naked in front of the mirror looking at her new body as it stood bathed in the candle light and with a sea of silk around her feet.

Her legs were so long and slender. No wonder why walking proved a new challenge! She was relearning now to walk on toothpick legs. Michelle trailed her fingers over the limbs in question and examined the graceful curve of her calves. Her hips flared out only slightly, keeping with the graceful curves.

Her waist was small and thin. Turning a bit to the side she examined the slight curve of her stomach. In the past, she knew she wouldn't be pleased with anything less than a flat stomach. That's not to say her stomach was flat before, but media gives us such unrealistic ideas as to what the female body looks like.

She was conditioned to the view of the perfect female, yet she was pleased with her new body. While her stomach had that soft curve, she felt that this body was more attractive than what she had before her death.

'No human's waist would be this slender', Michelle thought as she poked herself. Did she have room for her internal organs in that abdomen? She laughed at the thought of returning home and finding out she was missing half a stomach, a kidney and who knows what other organs.

She found her ribcage itself was also thin, yet she didn't feel strained to breath. Michelle marveled at her arms, wrist and hands, long and thin just like her legs, ankles and feet. Her face was more angular now as well as thinner. The eyes that looked back at her looked to be larger than she remembered, yet Michelle figured that it could just be the change in color giving them the appearance of being larger. It really didn't matter.

Where had she seen figures like this before? Michelle pondered the question as she pulled out the light blue and white lilies that adorned her hair. Once they joined the silk on the floor, she pulled loose the hair sticks and combs. As Michelle pulled the ribbons free and sent the blue waves cascading down her back the answer came to her to tickle the back of her knees.

Sailor Moon! Her figure resembled the character design she had seen illustrated by Naoko Takeuchi. Great. Now she was a walking, talking manga character. She laughed to herself as she walked to the pool. Insanity at its best. Maybe they all are just the imaginings of some mangaka. It would make as much sense as demons in the real world does!

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_I really love Naoko Takeuich's art. For female character design I actually favor her to her husbad Yoshihiro Togashi. Though I love both stories as is shown by this story and some that I am working on that haven't been posted, I favor Togashi for his male characters in both design and personality. Though I will forever love Takeuichi for giving me such a female empowered story and opening my mind up to things I hadn't considered as a kid such as same sex couples and transsexual. She did a great job portraying both as normal everyday people within the greater workings of their respective groups (good guys, bad guys) I think the 90s dub did us a great disservice in sterilizing (poorly) those parts out._

_On that note in case I don't see you all again before then, Merry Christmas, happy Yule or whatever holiday you choose to celebrate. May whatever deity you place faith in leave you blessed. Happy new year!_


	31. Don't Leave

_I really didn't think I would get this posted so soon. So Hi all! We are in the home stretch. I am guessing 1-3 more chapters left? Just cleaning up some loose ends really and giving Kurama and Michelle some peace. _

_ElementalFox101: Hello again! Hope you enjoy! Thank you for the review. _

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30

First one slender foot dipped into the pool. Finding the waters not to be too hot, one long leg plunged into the pool. It was a matter of seconds before the small, pale form was fully submerged in the waters. A sigh escaped past petal pink lips as frosty blue eyes closed in bliss. The waters cried out in joy at her presence and the plants quieted as the now pure waters began to soak into gravel and cracks in the rocks, reaching their eager roots. It was so relaxing now that she had some peace.

Yeah, she could get used to this.

Before she could melt into a blue Michelle puddle, she stood again and began to wade further into the waters. Candle light flickered and danced as steam wafted through the air. In some places Michelle found the waters deep enough to swim, though the pool was not in any way designed for more than soaking.

For a moment her heart clenched. How many other woman had he brought here? She shook her head at the though. They both had pasts. Their pasts included past loves and lovers. It was normal and she wasted no time quickly pushing from her mind as she stood, shoulder deep in the hot waters.

Before her mind could give voice to any more thoughts she didn't need she pushed her chest up and out of the water. Her abdomen and hips soon fallowed. Her arms floated up over her head as she relaxed. She could feel the tickle of the water lapping at her keens. Her lower legs hung loosely below her, still wrapped in the warm waters. She could feel her hair spread out around her.

It's hard to say how long she floated on her back in the water. The contrast of the cool air on her exposed skin and the heat of the water was amazingly relaxing. She didn't think she fell asleep but it was hard to say. Floating like this always came naturally to her but now, it felt as if the water itself was holding her up.

Her mind wondered as she may have slept. Thoughts of the beautiful woman who wanted so badly to be loved and the man who craved the very same thing crept in. A tear escaped her eye. If only Tsuki had realized sooner that she already had the love she so badly craved, just not from the man she wanted. Michelle wished Kai could have known the feeling of being loved.

Such thoughts, however bitter sweet opened the doors to what she was hiding from. She remembered the past few weeks in vivid detail. The pain somehow still felt so real, so sharp. It didn't make sense to her, she no longer had that body but she still felt that pain.

Right. She didn't have that body any more. Is she still Michelle? Is she still herself? Could she be, when the body she had didn't show her history? The scare from falling out of that Spruce tree as a kid was gone. The event was now nothing more than a ghost of a memory, nothing more. No longer did the physical evidence of the life she lead decorate her body.

Michelle had never realized how much those marks meant to her until they were gone. It was hard to say how she should feel about having a different body; one that was so different than what she knew. In a way, she was thankful. It helped compartmentalize her experience.

Another tear slipped into the water.

As she cried, she noticed the absence of anxiety and panic. To be free from those demons was something she had wanted for so long and yet now, her mind was disturbingly quite. The chatter of the plants did little to hide that silence.

In that moment, nothing sounded better to her than going home. She wanted nothing more than to be done with demons. To write the last few weeks off as a bad dream and go back to teaching. She would tell everyone she went in for a makeover, or something.

Demons.

It was then that it hit her, for the first time, that _he _is a demon wearing the skin of man. He was very literally the wolf in sheep's skin. For a moment, her blood ran cold. She knew now, first had what such creatures are capable of. Has he done to someone else what was done to her? He fought so hard to save her, clearly not sparing a thought for the lives of his enemies. In her heart, she knew he had killed people before. He would have killed to save her; for her.

Could she be okay with that?

She held one pale hand out above her face. Small droplets fell from her skin and splashed on her cheeks. What was she now? If she wasn't human anymore, did that mean that it would no longer matter that he was a demon? With a sigh she closed her eyes and allowed her arm to fall back into the water to float somewhere below the surface. All Michelle wanted was to be herself again but she feared that herself no longer exists.

Just outside of the cavern room where Michelle was floating, lost in thought another soul was lost within the confines of their mind.

Kurama sat on the cold stone floor, back resting against the rough wall. He casually rested an arm against the knee pulled up nearly to his chest. His other leg was stretched out in front of him. Now that he was granted true solitude for the first time in many weeks he could feel the emotions he tried so hard to ignore for the first time.

The panic still felt so sharp. Part of him had a hard time believing that she was alive. What disturbed him most however was the hopeless feeling when he watched her human life come to an end.

It was obvious early on in that final battle that they held no hope of winning. They should have ran. He should have ran. It was senseless to die when he could have escaped. But he didn't run. The thought hadn't even crossed his mind. To further add to the insanity, once she died he stopped fighting. To lower his head in defeat, to accept death was unlike him. Yet when his Michelle, his woman died he did just that. His failure warranted his death. Overall his actions over the past weeks were madness. Yet, being a thief, he didn't take kindly to having what was his stolen.

Footsteps echoed through the hall as Hiei came into view, carrying what appeared to be bolts of cloth. It was a strange thing to see the small man carry and the sight combined with exhaustion brought a smile to the redhead's face. Once Hiei was closer and Kurama could see what actually was in the man's arms the smile fell from his face.

In his arms, wrapped in cloths that must have been pilfered from his own den was the cold body of Michelle. Blood no longer dripped and her limbs looked stiff. For a moment, they just stood in silence as Kurama took in the sight of his failure. Hiei was the last one he expected to go back for her body yet it seemed fitting.

"Your call, Fox." Hiei didn't look at the load he carried as he waited for direction.

It's hard to say how long Michelle sat in the water's warm embrace after washing herself. Once she started cleaning herself, she was lost as she tried to scrub away the memories of harsh hands. It mattered little that this wasn't the body that was touched and violated. For a while she cried as she washed her reddened skin over and over but after a while the tears stopped coming.

Crying was a strangely healing thing, or so she had always been told. It had never changed how she felt in the past but now, she understood. It didn't take the pain away nor did it numb her to it. Rather, it left her feeling validated and refreshed. Until she sat in those waters, she hadn't allowed herself to process what she had been though.

She didn't hear him come in and couldn't say how long Kurama was watching her before he spoke, his voice soft and gentle. "Anything you need?"

Michelle's response was unexpected. With a squeak, she jumped and turned to face him. After a few short seconds she realized that this left much of her upper body exposed to the cool air as well as his gaze, she jumped back and attempted to cover herself with her arms as she sank into the water. Her luck however was not on her side and the uneven gravel bottom of the pool conspired to end all hopes of her giving an illusion of grace or even coronation.

Kurama could see that she was going to fall as she stumbled back. She however was still attempting to recover her footing even as she fell backward into the water. Long ice blue hair coiled around her as she failed around in the water, leaving her arms, torso and upper legs all tanged in the strangely strong stands.

Even through her anger at him intruding on her bath and seeing her new body naked before she had hardly a chance to know it, Michelle was embarrassed by her lack of grace. Embracement receded some when she realized she was nearly drowning.

Seeing her struggle in the water brought a panic to Kurama's mind, not unlike what he felt when he first found her missing. He hadn't wanted to enter the pool for fear of triggering a memory and scaring her. Now as her head dipped under the water again, he didn't think twice and in a blink of an eye he was splashing through the water faster than any normal man could hope to match.

He couldn't hear it, but the water was singing a calming song, not that Michelle was listening to it. Kurama found running through the water to be easier than he expected but didn't have the time to give it any thought. Quickly, he grabbed up Michelle into his arms. She clutched at him, gasping for breath.

They both could feel the gentle currents of water pulling her hair here and there, unwinding it from her legs and arms. This was not how the water currents normally moved in this pool. Kurama had bathed in this pool off and on for many years and never once had the waters moved in such a fashion, yet now it did.

Michelle ignored the water and huddled into Kurama's chest, clutching at the wet fabric of his shit. Her face was bright read. It would have matched her hair, had it still been her own hair. She gasped for breath as her bangs hung limply in her face. The warm water caressed her lower back.

She could feel Kurama's hands on her bare back, pulling her hair from her and preventing it from tangling again, not that it seemed to happen. The air cooled the water in her hair and on her skin, giving her a chill. As the wet mass fell onto her back again, she couldn't help but shiver.

"Thank you." She mumbled into his warm chest, not sure as to what she should do now that she was naked, in a bath and clutching her – was he still her boyfriend? Did he still want her? She had been functioning on the assumption that nothing had changed between them, yet never asked him.

"Your welcome." Was his simple response. He didn't whisper it. Rather, he spoke normally, with a chuckle in his voice. Things felt normal. Well, as normal as it could considering he was soggy and her state of undress.

He held her tight as he sank into the water, moving backwards to find a ledge to sit on. This allowed Michelle more water coverage and the warmth it provided. Once he had them settled on the bench, she was sitting in his lap with the water reaching just high enough to cover part of her breasts.

"I can leave, if you wish?" He asked suddenly. Kurama wasn't ignorant to her unease just as he was very much aware of and trying to ignore her nakedness.

She was silent for a moment as she thought. She was a modern woman, she knew her naked form was nothing to be ashamed of- such thinking was somewhat outdated. The goal of the bath was to be alone and she had gotten just that. Her pruned fingers showed the evidence. Now she no longer wished to be alone.

For the first time, she felt a bit like herself. She didn't feel like a ghost in his arms, like she had felt for so long that night. It wasn't over, she wasn't healed but for now, this was good enough.

Icey blue eyes met warm emeralds for what felt like the first time. "Please don't go." She whispered before she nuzzled into his neck, unashamed of the action as her arms warped around his strong back. His form felt so solid against her and for a moment she wondered if he always felt like such an immovable rock.

"I'll never leave you, unless you tell me to." He almost choked on the last part, fully aware that they were not talking about the bath anymore. Kurama didn't know if he could leave her but he would try. She was so soft against him, like the petals of the moonflower she so resembled now.

She may not know what she is and she may not know what the future will hold for herself, of for them. Michelle may not even fully understand what he is or what being by his side entails. What she does know is who she is. No matter what trials she has to go through, she will always remember who she is. She may not know Kurama's history, what his life was like before his time as a human or what he has planned for his future but she is sure she knows him.

How could she not? In those moments when emotions betrayed him, panic filled his heart and all that he was could easily be seen. He would die for her; she saw it with her own eyes. His life was not worth living without her, she saw that as well when he gave up and awaited death.

Yet Michelle couldn't imagine a world without him in it and so his death did not come to pass. She didn't know how she saved him, saved them all, really but knew she did.

Slowly, Michelle pulled back from him and fixed him again in her gaze. Her new eyes are beginning to grow on him, though Kurama was sure that the beauty of her new form would take little time at all to grow on him as the soul inside was the very same.

Her left arm dangled around his shoulders as her right hand came to rest against the base of his neck. He could feel her fingers brushing at his skin where the collar of his shirt pulled away as well as the weight of her forearm on his chest. Michelle didn't move to cover herself and a light rose dusted her cheeks.

Kurama's arms moved down her back to rest loosely around her waist. The Kami couldn't have crafted a more beautiful body for his Michelle.

"I love you." She whispered. He was shocked to hear it but not unpleased. What had he done to earn her love? What hadn't he done to scare her away? How did he become so lucky?

"I don't know a lot of things…" Her voice trailed off as tears shimmered in her eyes. "But I know that much. So, please don't ever leave me?" She knew he couldn't promise that things would workout, that they would last forever or that they would always be happy. Nothing was a guarantee.

In that moment however, he knew. He may not understand what she is or what power she holds but he wanted to hold her and to never let go. She asked him for forever and he would give her just that. He would take her as his, mark her as his and for better or worse, they would truly never be apart.

"I love you too." He finally admitted to her and himself. That was the reason behind it all. The reason he couldn't ignore her or his want of her. It was the very reason why he couldn't let another have her. Why he hunted her captors to the end of the Maki if needed. He loved her, and that is why he was willing to die for her. Why he would rather face death with his head bent than a life without her.

Their lips met again in a sweet kiss. Two tears fell from Michelle's eyes. Those were the last tears she cried that night. More would come as she healed, of that she was sure.

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_This chapter. I wrote 3 times. Each time I wrote it in a candle lit bath. It was magic. It also kept coming out...lemony. I didn't want lemon for them- at least not yet. In the next few chapters, maybe? I don't know. It depends on if I feel the story needs it. I originally intended for a lemon to be in the story but it hasn't even been the right time. I hope to have the story finished by the end of next month. _

_Any Black Butler fans? I've got the first two chapters if a SxOC written. For the Hiei Fans I have an OC on the works for him, also 2 chapters deep so far. Any preferance on what I prioritize? Or are you all strictly Kurama fans and don't care? In the end I'm sure I'll be posting whatever is furthest along when the time comes. _


	32. Forever (Chapter 31)

_So, Hi! _

_Sorry for the wait. This chapter gave me some... trouble. As lemons are not actually allowed on this site, I did try to keep this within the bounds but that was hard seeing as it actually had story value. As a reminder, this story is rated M for mature. In prior chapters it was due to challenging topics. In this chapter it is purely for the slightly smutty ending. Kids, you know where the door is. Or at the very least, don't get caught reading this while mom or dad is home, mkay?_

_livtink, thanks for the review. I have a serious love for Kurama too. For the age range the original series was intended he is an amazingly deep and complex character. I'm sure I'll write another Kurama X OC in time but for a while I'll need to stay away from him for the most part. Though Michelle has largely packed up and moved out of my head (another reason this has taken so long...) if I were to try and write another woman for him too soon, she would just be another Michelle in many ways. _

_The next story to be posted in the YYH world will be a Hiei x OC probably in the spring by the title of 'Mute'. Like this, it will be rated M and deal with some challenging topics. I like challenging topics as you can tell. Also in the upcoming months I'll have a Black Butler, Sebastian x OC - rating undecided and title unknown as of yet. That one is being written completely on my work computer (I love my job LOL). _

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31

They stayed in that cave for four days and in that time they survived on fruits and the meat Hiei would bring in before disappearing again. Michelle never once left that cave, nor did she brave exploring it on her own. Kurama had taken her to see the fruit plants and taught her what was safe to eat in that room- not that they could be sure if what was poison to Kuwabara and Yusuke would be poison to her as well.

As a whole, the group worked hard to ignore the differences between the Michelle they intended to rescue and the one that they joked with now. It remained the white elephant in the room.

During this time she learned more about Kurama and even a few tidbits about his friend. He told her small facts and simple stories of his past, before he was Shuiichi. Michelle had come to the conclusion that either, he really wasn't much of a demon when he was one or that he was trying to protect her from what he was.

As she picked at her food, she wondered how long they could go on like this. She hadn't cried, much. Healing was a slow process that had begun that night in the pool. It helped, having a sleeping space provided to her by Kurama that allowed her some isolation at night.

Nights are when she found herself at her weakest. Fears and memories of the not so distant past would force themselves into her mind that night. This night, after finishing her meal and heading to bed was no exception. She was thankful when Kurama brought her a small waterskin filled with cool water. He never seemed to be far.

Her sleep was haunted by nightmares. Not just of what was done to her but of the deaths of her friends. What she hadn't expected was to be haunted by the deaths she caused as well. She was forced to watch as the bodies of her captors were ripped apart and vaporized as she stood by, laughing. This dream caused her the most distress.

Strong hands gripped her shoulders but at first, the shaking didn't wake her. He tried harder, calling her name as her arms weakly batted at his. In her dream, it was Maki grabbing her, wanting to take her again. She cried out against him, begged him not to.

Hearing the mumbled begging Kurama tried harder to wake her. Sitting her up in his arms, he gave her one last firm shake as she fought against him. She woke with a scream caught in her throat, not sure of her surroundings or who it was that was touching her.

"It's okay. It's just me." Kurama whispered as he shushed her, petting her loose hair. It was a slightly tangled wavy mess that pooled around his knees as he held her. As she calmed and realized it was him, she clutched at him.

She was tired, so very tired. Truth be told, she had been sleeping even worse than she had allowed Kurama to believe. It wouldn't do him any good to be worrying about her. He had done that plenty already, in her opinion.

Her emotions were fried and she just wanted the nightmares, the pain to go away.

"I'm sorry." She whispered, whipping at her tears.

"Do you want to talk about it?" He offered. He was so kind. She guessed with hundreds of years under his belt he had the time to learn to be a perfect gentleman. Michelle wondered if he was always like this.

"He was trying to…" She trailed off for a bit, heaving a stuttering sigh as she attempted to keep herself calm. Another tear traced its way down her face only to be whipped away by his knuckle. "have me, again." She didn't want to say exactly how he wanted her. The words didn't need to be spoken however, Kurama had seen where much of her blood had come from and knew exactly how he 'had her'.

"Kai?" He asked, rubbing her back. Michelle shock her head, a small smile on her face.

"He loved Tsuki. Kai never touched me. I don't think he was that bad, really." She wished things had worked out better for Kai. She really didn't think he would have been so bad if he hadn't gotten mixed up with those others.

"The other one, then." He didn't really mean it as a question. He had little doubt as to who else would have taken her in such a way. She simply nodded. She didn't want to think about it. She just wanted him to take her mind off of it.

The hardness that filled his voice betrayed the fact that he wished he could have been the one to kill the man. He could have tortured him for years with a number of plants and still not had his anger satisfied.

"I failed to protect you. I won't fail you again." He nuzzled the top of her head, pulling her fully into his lap and breathed in her scent. Slender fingers toyed with the buttons on his shirt. They were not lined up right. She assumed he threw it on in a rush to get to her, buttoning as he went.

She had been sleeping in a simple yakata. It was no longer wrapped tightly around her body but hadn't fallen open enough to reveal her. His body heat radiated off him and seeped into her clothes, giving her warmth she hadn't known she had been craving. With his strong arms wrapped around her and her head resting on his shoulder she felt safe. It occurred to her that he was sitting on her make shift bed and that she could sleep like this, with him here, safe in his arms.

"I'll be okay." She didn't know if she was telling him that or if she was trying to convince herself.

"You will." He wasn't too sure who he was telling either.

As he sat on the cot, holding her as tightly as he dared his mind went back to the topic that had been plaguing him and robbing him of sleep all night. With his own thoughts keeping him awake he was allowed the joy of listening to Michelle's tossing and turning during the nights. He would give anything to give her peace.

He was silent until he felt her begin to relax against him. She wasn't asleep, he could tell that much from her breathing. He rubbed her back with a gentle hand pondered as he thought to himself. The proper thing to do would be to excuse himself from the room and allow her to sleep. Each time his hand traveled up her back, his fingertips would glance over her shoulder, left exposed by her loose yakata and he found this drew his attention to the exposed skin. He was having a hard time not being keenly aware of the state of her sleeping robe.

"Michelle," he started in a soft voice, hardly above a whisper. She hummed in response, too relaxed to bother speaking. "I should let you get back to sleep."

He started to pull away as he spoke however she clutched at his shirt. Admittedly he didn't put much effort in untangling her fingers before she broke her silence.

"Please, stay?" Large blue eyes reflected the light from the candle he had brought in, allowing the light to dance in her eyes as she gazed up at him. Her loose hair spilled in waves down her back and over his arm. "I know no one can promise forever, but can't you promise me the night? We will face whatever comes later, but please, don't make me be alone tonight?"

The blush that dusted her cheeks brought warmth to her face that he hadn't seen since she took on this body. She looked memorizing with her yakata hanging off one shoulder and how she used a hand on his chest with fingers gripping his shirt to hold herself up as she pleaded with him.

When his halfhearted attempt at freeing his shirt from her fingers failed, he settled on simply holding her hand against his chest. Dainty fingers poked out from where his larger hand enveloped hers. He gazed into those icy blue eyes and decided he was fond of them and their unique coloring.

The intensity of his gaze caused her to blush more. She wasn't stupid, she knew how her request could have been taken but maybe, just maybe that would help her. She didn't know but she knew she didn't want to be alone in this cot tonight. Not tonight.

"I can." His voice was still soft, a whisper, as if he was unsure of his words. It was odd, to hear a man as well-spoken as he, speak in such a way. He swallowed thickly and she watched as his Adam's apple bobbed before he began again.

"I can give you forever, I can promise it."

"How?" She was unsure of where this could be going, her tired mind attempted to race but he quickly began speaking again, gaining confidence with each word, though still soft spoken.

"I can't promise we will always like each other, but I can give you forever. There would be no going back, but if you want forever, I will always be with you."

"What are you talking about?" She stuttered some as she spoke. "Is it a- a demon thing?" She nearly choked on the word. He wished she didn't ask that question but knew she must.

"Some demons marry, some don't." He started.

"Your kind do?"

"No, Kitsune mate for life, like few others. It cannot be undone, unlike a marriage. To try and leave your mate, it would make one such as I sick." She noticed how he avoided saying 'demon' and was thankful.

"What if we stop liking each other? What if we end up hating each other ten or twenty years from now?" She was shocked at what she believed he was going at. They hadn't known each other for long, really.

"We make ourselves like each other again. We work it out. We communicate; we scream, yell and fight then kiss and make up because we have no other option but to be together." He continued before she could cut in. "Michelle, I've never found a woman I wanted to spend eternity with. I'll never find another. You want forever; I'll give it to you, right now, tonight if you wish."

She knew it was stupid, reckless and crazy to enter into such a permanent bond after such a short time but that didn't stop her from nodding her head or from rising up on her knees before him and slowly bringing her lips to his. How this was to be accomplished, she didn't know but she knew she loved this man, regardless of what he may be.

He quickly took control of the kiss as he tangled his free hand in her hair. He let go of her hand as she slid it up his chest and around his neck. The freed hand quickly found her exposed shoulder. It was the slightly unexpected contact with bare skin that jolted him back to reality a bit. With a strangled breath he pulls from the kiss and buries his face in her bare shoulder.

With each shallow breath he could smell her and her excitement, making retaining his own self-control challenging. Kurama was not completely able to resist temptation however, and placed small tender kisses on her neck and shoulder. Michelle found her breath fleeting as well as she clutched at him.

"H- How do we do this?" She questioned, words whispered on panted breathes. "Is there a ceremony or…" Michelle lost her train of thought when she felt his tongue snake out from between his lips and flick over her sensitive neck.

"No, nothing as formal as that." His words were mumbled between kisses as he worked his way up her slender neck.

"T- Then h- how?" She felt stupid for stuttering yet butterflies had taken over her belly and she had hardly a grasp on how breathing worked anymore.

"This is how," He took her earlobe in between his lips and tugged. While he hadn't had practice with a woman in nearly 20 years, he never forgot how to play the instrument that is a woman. "It is a bond more primal than a marriage ceremony. It is animalistic in nature."

Kurama pulled away, wanting her mind cleared a bit before he forged on ahead. This was her last chance. She could change her mind now and he could leave. It would be hard, it would kill him inside, but he could leave her now if she requested it of him. If they continued though, and she changed her mind he couldn't be so certain that he could stop himself from taking what he already considered to be his.

"I would have to mark you." Softly he danced his fingers over her neck and shoulder. "It can't be undone. Never. It will hurt. Know that I'll never hurt you again after this." It was hard to ignore the tightening in his chest. He needed her to be his.

"Mark me how?" She was confused. Was he hiding a brand in his pocket? Or maybe a knife? Did he mean he needed to scar her?

"I would need to bite you, at the right time, and draw blood." His fingers danced again over her exposed neck and shoulder, sending shivers up her back. So a scar it was then. "I would place just a bit of my energy in the wound and then it is done."

Michelle nodded and whispered her plea for him to do it, though she wasn't entirely sure she understood what 'it' was going to entail. Some rather lewd ideas entered her mind as she found his lips on her neck again.

Quickly, her thoughts scattered and her mind was consumed by his actions. It was hard to focus on any one thing. He moved quickly, his hands dancing down her sides and back after raking through her hair. As he kissed his way down her neck and onto the exposed portions of her chest, his fingers skimmed up her legs, tracing the hem of her robe where it parted.

She clutched at his arms and back, trying to find some way to ground herself as he pulled her into his lap. Father than tossing her legs over to one side, he positioned them so she straddled him. The robe did little to cover her legs at this point and though her womanhood was shaded from view, she felt very much exposed.

Strong fingers clutched her hips as he held her to him, enjoying the feeling of her in his lap. Soon enough, the fingers loosened and danced away. Their touch was always fleeting, teasing, just enough for her to desperately want more.

Her long fingers toyed with the top button of his shirt, ill aligned though it was. She wondered if he noticed that he hadn't buttoned his shirt right but that thought fluttered away quickly enough. The first two buttons freed quickly, one after the other exposing part of his chest to her curious fingers.

Kurama's hands found themselves with a mission as he returned his mouth to her soft lips. Having her in his lap gave her leverage but he didn't mind having to look up a bit to kiss her. One hand found its way to her silky hair. Each hair was so fine yet the mass itself was thick, something many women would be jealous over.

His other hand set to work on the tie that held her robe closed. It had shifted in her sleep from her back to her side. The knot itself was easy enough to undo, yet he took his time. He wanted her to be aware of what he was doing, to anticipate it.

As the obi fell around her, Michelle's robe pulled open. The loose shoulder fell, the collar's hem gathering at her elbow. The weight of the slick silk pulled the robe's other shoulder from its place. The robe gathered at her elbows as her hands rested on his chest.

The blush that dusted her cheeks as she pulled back to look at him was decidedly the most beautiful he had seen yet. He was quick to return to task, showering her newly exposed skin in soft kisses and gentle touches as her fingers hurriedly went to the task of freeing him from his shirt.

Her silky hands softly slid up his chest, taking in the contours of his muscles. He was leanly built and lacked to bulk that she would see other men sport. Those other man always looked to be trying too hard. Her Kurama seemed to be easily, naturally perfect.

She could feel his muscles bunch and flex as he shifted to devour her neck again. Breaths came shallow for the both of them. His shirt slipped from his shoulders as she moved her arms around his neck and clutched at his back. It took him hardly a second to finish shedding the article of clothing.

Kurama took his time worshiping her as he softly pushed her down onto her back. The taste of her, the smell of her, it was intoxicating and he couldn't seem to get enough. Michelle wasn't complaining. Never had she felt exactly this way. She could never be sure if it was because of the new body, actually loving her lover or that he was simply skilled. Luckily for him, she didn't really care the reasons as he took her over the edge.

It's hard to say exactly when he shed his pants. Michelle could have begun the process herself and lost the memory in the foggy haze of pleasure. Every bit of him was perfect. He seemed to be everything she had ever fantasized about, as if she had spent her life waiting for him without even knowing it. She could only hope he found her new body as appealing.

There, there was that pang of sadness again. He quickly chased it away. She told herself that it didn't matter. She couldn't go back to how she was before. This was who she was going to have to be now. It didn't take her long to get lost in the sensations again.

She tried not to close her eyes as he moved above her. It seemed, in a few short moments he was all around her. She was filled with him. His scent lingered in the air as if it was an extension of him. It filled her lungs. Not one bit of skin felt untouched by his strong hands.

But if she closed her eyes, it all seemed to fade away. No, it was best to keep her eyes open. As long as she could see him, she could remember that it was Kurama who was holding her, who was inside her. Not that vial man. It was the man she lived. It was the man that loved her.

Kurama wasn't unaware of her subtle distress, but felt helpless to truly do anything about it. Softly, he whispered his love and adoration into her ear, between soft kisses placed on her neck. If he didn't do this, if they didn't do this, he couldn't mark her. It was required and it pained him to see her having to fight the memories, no matter how well she hid it.

He offered her pleasure for as long as he could hold out; wanting to stall what was coming. While he wanted her as his, he didn't want to cause her pain. It had to be done. If not, anyone could take her from him.

As he pushed her over the edge yet again, he licked her neck. With sudden force he sank his teeth into the tender flesh. Her scream was choked off in her throat. Kurama was thankful for that. They didn't need the others to be awakened to find them naked and rutting. His climax crashed down on him as he tasted her blood.

His energy pulsed and plants around them grew, feeding off the demonic mist that surrounded them. Michelle clutched his back, fingernails digging into his skin. With her eyes wide open, she didn't miss the moment the man above her began to change. She could feel warmth in her neck but it was quickly discarded as she pushed at the slightly broader shoulders of the man above her.

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_So ah, yeah. Guess he forgot to mention one tiny thing... Shouldn't try to explain things with a boner Kuramakun! 3_

_I do hope you liked this chapter. I really, really wanted to find a way to do this without...well... lemony goodness (even though I freaking love a good smut) as I didn't know how it would turn out, how it will be received or if it would be too much. Please do review, I know we are at the end but it gives me warm fuzzies, even more so on a chapter like this where I am totally freaking out over if its too much or not. ._


	33. aftermath

_Sorry for the delay. I anticipate only one more chapter after this. My goal is to have the last chapter up as soon as I am able. Took the day off work even to finish this. 2,904 words for your enjoyment. Please do review and let me know what you think. _

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32

Red hair had grown longer. It had lightened into silver that shimmered in the light of the candles. She couldn't see his face or much of the rest of him for that matter. The man's mouth was still at her neck, just as Kurama's had been.

With renewed force she pushed and pounded on the strange man's neck. Her throat was tight; she couldn't get a breath in, let alone let out a scream. The wheels in her mind failed to turn as panic set in.

The white haired man froze above her before he slowly released his hold on her neck, allowing her to move freely without further ripping her soft flesh. His hand let go of her waist where he had been gripping her to hold her steady. The place where his hand had been throbbed slightly. As soon as her neck was freed she began pushing with renewed force and scooting herself back out from under him.

She didn't feel him slip out of her, while she tried to put distance between them. Michelle didn't begin to think again until her back was pressed hard against the cold stone wall and she felt the tickle of something leaking out from inside her. Strangely absent was the feeling of blood pouring from her neck.

Kurama, for his part, felt like the biggest ass to have ever graced the worlds. He should have known this would happen. He should have expected that his appearance may have changed. He should have told her. It was too late for "should have" however. Truth be told, he got impatient and greedy, as he had sometimes been prone to so long ago. He miscalculated. He was careless.

"Michelle." The man called softly, as one would to a frightened animal. He was naked, Michelle noted.

Why was he naked? Where was Kurama? She also noticed two tall fox ears perched atop his head and what looked to be a tail swaying behind him. The strange silver ears looked like they could be taller than a typical fox's, but then again they were not on a typical fox. They were resting nearly flat against the man's head and could easily be mistaken for unruly The wheels in her mind began to finally get traction. She swallowed back part of her panic.

She remembered Kurama mentioning that he was a fox demon as he was teaching her about the world they currently were located in. The man before her, in Kurama's place, naked as Kurama would be now, had some body parts of a fox. He knew her name.

She was shaking like a leaf. It killed him to know that he put her in such a state. He knew the pain would upset her. This miscalculation clearly did an even better job upsetting her however. Kneeling on the ground, not bothering to cover himself, he reached out to her slowly with a clawed hand as he called her name again. It was hard to resist the urge to go to her, to his mate, when she was so scared but she didn't realize who he was. Instead he remained rooted in his place on her bed mat.

"Kurama?" She whispered his name. He nodded slowly. Silver stands reflected the light as they shifted and cascaded over his shoulder to brush against his raised arm. Still, he resisted the urge to go to her.

"It's okay." He spoke, slow and soft. "It's just me. This is what I am. What I really am." His tail waved behind him once more before settling somewhat warped around his kneeling form. The fur was sliver, just as his hair and had that same magnificent shine.

For a second she remained against the wall. When she did move, it was sudden and somewhat unexpected. He had wholly expected her to remain against the wall for the remainder of the night. This was the test that he feared she wasn't ready for. Could she accept him as he truly was, as he would again become when his time as a human ran out? Honestly, he wouldn't blame her if she attempted to reject him.

All this goes to say that he was caught completely off guard when she flung herself at him. How such a small body could ram into him with such force, without intending to even, was beyond him. As he rocked back, knees lifting off the mat, he could feel her arms encircle his chest.

Her momentum was amazingly strong considering the short distance. It was like catching a rocket. Quickly, he made sure his tail was out of harm's way as her momentum rocked him back on his heels. Loosely he wrapped his arms around Michelle's waist, unsure of exactly what was happening.

They landed together with a soft thud. Kurama landed on his back with Michelle clutching him as she nuzzled her face into his neck, lying on his chest. He could feel the dampness from her tears.

"Michelle?" One silver ear cocked to the side as he softly rested a hand on her back, letting his fingers slip into the soft waves of her hair.

Kurama's other hand tightened around her waist holding her to him. For a moment he was scared that she would reject him. Never once had he feared rejection before. This small woman had truly stirred such new fears in his heart.

"Is it done?" She whispered.

With her face buried in his shoulder she couldn't see the man she was clutching. He smelled the same for the most part as she remembered from their first kiss, under the tree seemingly so long ago. His voice was different, a bit deeper than she was used to. Michelle had never seen eyes like those he had just looked at her with, not even once.

"It's done." Kurama conformed as he attempted to smother and suppress his demonic energy. "I'll go back to what you're used to soon, I promise. Just stay like this until then."

Kurama didn't want to see her look at him in this state again so soon. The fear in her eyes was far too clear in his memory. He didn't need to see it again, not this soon.

"I'm yours forever now?" When she spoke so softly it was like listening to the musical whisper of the wind. It truly was something he could get used to.

"Forever, it can't be undone now." She could feel his fingers running through her hair as he spoke.

After a moment she made up her mind and gathered her resolve. He was hers. She was his. Michelle knew that he would always protect her. Kurama wouldn't hurt her again. She was safe. She had no reason to fear him. She told herself these things again and again as she shifted and prepared to push herself back, off his chest. His hand on her back held her firm in place however.

"Just wait a little longer." Kurama just needed a few more minutes to get control and he would be able to revert back to the redheaded form she knew.

"Please, let me look?" Michelle pleaded, surprising Kurama.

"You don't have too." They would have years to get to this. He couldn't think of a single reason why she should see him in his true form again so soon.

"Yes, I do. This is who you are, what you are." Her pleading was answered only by a sigh but she could feel the arm on her back relax.

Michelle took a deep breath before slowly pushing herself up off his bare chest. For a moment she hovered a few inches over his shoulder as she examined the silver strands she had buried her face in. As gathered the courage to take in more of him, she pushed herself further back until she was kneeling over him.

Kurama decided it was best not to move and thus remained laying in a sea of blankets on the soft mats that made up her bed. She kept her head down at first, taking in the planes of his abdomen then slowly moving up to his chest.

Michelle watched his muscles move as his chest expanded and contracted with each breath he took. To the right she could see what appeared to be a tail. Her mind had a hard time processing such a thing at first. It twitched ever so slightly under her gaze.

She could feel Kurama's eyes on her as she examined him. He was closely watching every expression she made as she took him in.

It was easy to tell, just from when he had been holding her that this…form… was taller than she was used to. His torso looked longer than it did when he had red hair.

With a deep breath she prepared herself for what she feared would be the hardest part. Michelle brought her crystal blue eyes up to examine his face. He was paler overall and the structure of his face was more mature. His features were clearly and sharply defined where in the past they had been softer in a nearly feminine way.

Long silver bangs fell over his forehead and bright golden eyes watched her. She could see similarities between the way she knew him to look and how he looked now. He held that same intelligence in his eyes. Yet he had a slightly mischievous air about him.

Remembering the ears she saw perched atop his head, she wanted a better look. He accepted her change without so much as a fuss and it was the least she could to do attempt to do the same for him. It would do her well to face her fear regardless and this was the man who promised her forever.

As she leaned up, trying to look at the top of his head, he tilted his head up in an attempt to continue watching her face. It also allowed him to ignore her breast in his face. He wasn't so lucky however and she was quick to playfully swat at his chest.

"Stop, I want to look…" She mumbled. Michelle wasn't quite ready to really face him yet, not until she was sure she was ready. In the meantime… she had never met anyone with ears on the top of their head before, not that she had met too many demons until now.

Kurama sighed and after finding no way to look away from the sight in front of him, he settled on waiting with his eyes closed. He didn't exactly need the temptation in such a delicate situation. He had all of eternity ahead of him to have her to himself, yet with her chest hanging in front of his face he was sorely tempted to dart his tongue out and take another taste, or even maybe a nibble.

Soft fingers on his delicate ears didn't exactly lead him to the most pure thoughts. Her fingers could be busy elsewhere. While he was never particularly fond of his ears being touched before, Kurama found himself actually enjoying the touch.

Maybe just a little taste couldn't hurt? It was far too tempting as he felt her shift above him. The warmth from her body told him that her chest was likely even closer to his face. Yes, just a little taste would surely be okay…

A sharper tug quickly changed his mind. With a slight yelp his ears flicked themselves out of her hands before resting nearly flat against his head again, this time in hiding from her fingers. His hands were quick to reach her shoulders and gently he pushed her back as he sat up, holding her in his lap.

"Those are sensitive." His voice hid just a hint of a whine to it as he again flicked his ears around. It the moment of protecting his ears he had forgotten to watch himself and completely disregarded if his actions would scare his mate.

Michelle had sucked in a gasp when he moved so suddenly. She didn't know what to expect and she hadn't meant to hurt him. His anger was something she didn't want directed at her. It occurred to her that she really didn't know much of the man she decided to spend forever with.

"Sorry." She whispered.

"Just be gentle with the ears and tail." Kurama nuzzled the top of her head. "I should be the one to apologize. I should have warned you. I wasn't thinking clearly and because of my oversight, I scared you. I hope you can forgive me for that, and the pain I have caused you."

Truthfully, Michelle had forgotten about the bite. Her hand quickly made its way up to her neck, feeling for damage. Surely she should feel blood seeping from the wound, he had such a firm grip on her and she vividly was able to recall the feeling of her skin taring as she attempted to push him away. Her fingers however found no blood and no wound.

"It's healed. It healed as soon as I let go." Kurama's hand reached out pulled her fingers away from her neck. For a moment he admired the mark he left.

"Will you tell me more about your past?" Michelle asked as he shifted and pulled her into his arms as he lay back on the mat.

"In time." She felt him sigh. "I wasn't a good man and nearly paid for it with my life. I've learned a lot living in the human world." She was silent as she danced her fingers over his chest, lost in thought.

"I still want to know. I love who you are now, who you have been in the past doesn't matter anymore."

They spent that night telling each stories from their pasts. Kurama was amused with tales of her childhood antics and the arctic forests she grew up running through. Michelle was amazed to hear stories of his past, the grand parties and even grander heists.

It was shortly after she started her second story that his form returned to the one she knew so well. Soon enough, sleep overcame her and he was thankful to simply watch her sleeping form. How a creature that had literally died at the hand of demons could accept him as he truly was so soon after, he didn't know. Kurama was more than thankful for it none the less.


	34. The Temple

_I lied, one more after this. But good news- it is typed and ready to upload! _

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33

A mate's mark was always unique to the couple. It was the manifestation of the energy the male invested in his mate. While it bonded them together forever, the female acted as a vessel for a portion of the male's power. The female's power would cradle the male's and overtime it would grow.

It was this power a male trusted his mate with that she could tap into should she need it to protect herself or her pups, should he not be able to do so. It was also something he could tap into, should his mate and pups be threatened by a foe stronger than him.

Pups. Babies. Children.

Those words circled in Michelle's mind as she fussed with her hair in front of the mirror. Over the last 24 hours, she had learned a lot about being mated. She could feel Kurama in a way she couldn't explain. While she couldn't pinpoint where he was, she knew she was somewhere in the caves behind her. She could feel that he was annoyed, but only mildly.

Kuwabara and Yusuke must be bickering again.

She had been worried that he would regret marking her as his mate. It would mean he would have to protect her forever. Kurama was quick to correct her thinking. It wasn't the female's job to protect herself, she as to protect her pups.

They hadn't talked about pups before. She hoped he wouldn't expect them anytime soon. Michelle knew she was probably worrying herself over nothing. She could just talk to him, she knew.

Finally satisfied with her hair, tied up in a ponytail with the deep blue ribbons that decorated her hair when she first became an elemental, she examined the subtle mark at her neck. Kurama was right, it had healed nearly instantly. She never was told what to expect the mark to look like but she was pleased with it.

Where his fangs had punctured her skin two small gems glittered in the light. They were not quite silver, having a slight green sheen to them when the light reflected off their surface. They looked almost like miniature versions of the gem on her forehead. Kurama had told her that while he was in his true form, the gems shone a golden hue.

It was time to go. She knew they were waiting for her. Part of her didn't want to leave these caves. Leaving meant she had to address that she couldn't just go back to her prior life. What would they tell Sara? Would she be a missing person forever? Michelle was thankful she didn't have much in the way of family to miss her.

Michelle spared one last glance at herself as she grabbed up the small pack that contained her neatly folded kimono and obi sashes as well as some of the ribbons and hair pins that she didn't use to decorate her hair. In all reality, she knew she would never be able to do her hair nearly as well as it was done when she took this body.

Her reflection looked back at her. Her eyes still left her unnerved with their lack of a defined pupil. She wondered what that meant for the structure of her eyes. Did they work differently? Even the demons she had seen had defined pupils, yet she did not. It was strange.

She was thankful for the black baggy pants she wore. They would be easier to travel in than the kimono. She also wore a tunic styled tank top, made of what felt like the finest silk in the world. The deep blue was set off with a sky blue trim. Her new chest was perky, but she still felt herself wishing for a bra. The fabric was so thin and clung to her skin. God, she hoped it wasn't cold outside. She would just die.

With one last look around her makeshift room, she started to make her way through the halls to the main room. She stopped on the way to say a soft goodbye to the bathing chamber. It had quickly become her favorite place. Plants all sung to her softly as she walked, wishing her safe travels and requesting her return to them soon.

They made relatively quick work on their journey. This was largely due to the fact that they did not camp for the night. Whenever she got tired, Kurama would carry her. She felt bad about that but accepted that she simply didn't have the same stamina that these men did. It was surprisingly easy to sleep as he carried her on his back.

"Where's Hiei?" Yusuke asked softly as Michelle slept.

"Nearby." Kurama's answer was just as soft. He knew he needed to tell Michelle what he tasked his friend with but now wasn't the time.

It was morning when Michelle woke. It should be considered a crime, how well she slept on Kurama's back as he walked. She hoped she didn't drool on him. They ate packed foods and fruit they could gather on the way. Kurama taught her what he could in the short time of the plants they walked past.

Michelle was surprised by how much she enjoyed the trip. Though she was scared to actually go through the portal, Kurama was kind enough to carry her. In his opinion, she did enough fear facing in the last week that if carrying her made it easier, he would carry her for as long as she needed.

Not once, did anyone spot Hiei. Kurama was thankful for that. The package he asked his friend to carry would not be pleasant to look at. He could only hope that Hiei had fallowed his directions and removed as much of the sap that preserved it as possible.

They arrived at a temple in the hills over a small town. They sky was again the clear blue that Michelle was accustomed to. Being back in the world of humans was shocking to Michelle.

As she was introduced to Genkai, the old woman who owned the temple and lands that would be her home for the time being Michelle could do little but smile and nod. Yukina, the young ice maiden according to Kurama, was kind enough to forgo the tour at Michelle's request and showed her straight to her room.

It was odd, Kurama not being with her. He had said he would return shortly, he needed to touch base with his mother and see to a few things and would be back in time for the evening meal.

Yukina had offered to bring her a snack or some tea; they still had an hour or so until dinner would be served. Michelle had suddenly not felt like eating and declined.

"I'm just really tired." She told the small girl.

"I'll leave you to rest, then. Please, let us know if you need anything." With a bow the girl left Michelle in peace.

Michelle turned and rested her back against the door. Alone at last. She could hear the boys arguing over the video game they were playing. The old woman snapped at them at times.

Michelle reminded herself to take deep breaths. She didn't know how long she stood against the door. She was home at last. The pants didn't call to her as loudly as they did in the demon world. Or maybe, just maybe, she had adjusted to the constant noise.

The sun shone through the window. It was a beautiful day. How dare it be such a beautiful day when she couldn't go home. She wouldn't get to see the sakura blossoms with Sara. What would she do now? Questions she hadn't thought of yet started to swim in her mind. She didn't have paperwork anymore, she didn't belong anywhere. She couldn't work. How would she live? What would she do with her life?

One step into the room. Maybe if she looked out the window she would feel better. Another step. Her vision swam. Was this really something worth crying over? Kurama would take care of her. What would she do when he was at school or work? A third step. She could feel the sunlight warming her as she fell to her knees.

"What's wrong?" Kurama's voice was soft as he knelt at her side. When did he get there? He softly pulled her into his arms and they sat together in that island of sunlight.

She didn't know how long she sat there and cried. While she had already mourned what had happened to her and had begun to heal, she had not thought about the loss of her future. She had plans. Goals. Dreams.

"I don't have anything anymore." She whispered after a while. "Nothing."

"You have me." He rubbed her back as she rested her head on his chest, listening to the thump of his heart as she whipped away tears, only for them to be replaced with more. "You have our friends."

"I don't even have my own clothes. I don't have a job. I don't have anything. I can't go anywhere, I don't have papers. I don't even have Sara." She knew she should be grateful for the friends she did have, for him and for her very life but in that moment, she felt lost.

He was silent for a moment as he thought. He had expected this, to a degree. Koenma was working on papers for her that would allow her to integrate into human society as a Japanese Citizen- something that she wouldn't have been able to gain before her death until she had lived in the country for ten years.

Clothes and the rest would come in time. He knew that the material things were only a small part of what had her upset.

"Maybe," He started, he knew what he was about to suggest was a bad idea but he wanted to give her something, some part of her past she could hold onto. "Maybe you could become the friend Sara needs to help her through the loss of a close friend."

After her meltdown, a shower and a change of clothes Michelle felt much better. Kurama had explained his plan to her, regarding her missing person case and while she didn't like it, Michelle did agree it was better to give everyone who knew her some closure at least.

Yukina was a decent cook and the dinner she prepared was wholly Japanese. Michelle forced herself to eat, even the things she didn't like. The girl was so sweet; Michelle didn't want to offend her.

"Are you feeling better?" Yukina asked as she took a dainty sip of tea. Kuwabara gushed over how thoughtful the girl was, causing Michelle to smile.

"Much, thank you." Kurama's hand found her's under the table and gave it a squeeze. Yes, all things would be figured out in time. They had forever to figure it out, to work it out. There was no reason to stress.

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_And that's done. I'm trying to get the last one posted tonight but if my kid wakes up, it may have to wait. _


	35. Time Marches On

_This is it. This is the end. After the chapter I'll have a bit of a message for all of you, stay tuned for it. I really, really hope you enjoy this chapter, it does jump around a bit. _

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~34

The next day a girl wearing a bubblegum pink Kimono and carrying an oar joined them at breakfast. Her hair was a bright blue that in the past, Michelle would have been sure had to be the result of an expensive dye job.

"That's Botan." Yusuke offers as he shovels another pancake into his mouth. He was very much enjoying the American breakfast Michelle had made for them all.

"At least say 'hello'! How rude!" The girl waved her finger and lectured Yusuke.

Michelle slowly leaned over to Kurama and asked in English, "She okay?"

This caused her mate to bite back a chuckle. Yusuke however had managed to pick up a good amount of English in their time together nearly choked on his food. Michelle simply blinked at him. It wasn't exactly everyday a woman walks around with an oar while wearing a Kimono. It made even less sense as they were a good ways away from a body of water.

"You must be Michelle!" The girl's attention shifted as she made her way over to her new target.

"Hai..." Michelle nodded.

"I have something for you!" She announced, in a singsong voice as she produced a manila document envelope out of seemingly nowhere.

"For me?" Michelle took the envelope with both hands and a slight bow of her head, not entirely sure as to what was going on. "Thank you…"

"It's your new paperwork, Silly! For your new identity." Botan had for too much energy for the morning.

Michelle decided coffee was going to be an order of the day, possibly a lot of it. She hadn't gotten much sleep the night before. While yes, she was tired, she somehow ended up spending most of the night talking to her mate. It helped for her to explain and express the worries and fears she had as well as the things she was mourning. Morning came too soon and she could have slept a few more hours.

Somehow, she ended up being dragged out of the house by the blue haired woman who had changed in to jeans and a simple tee shirt. The boys trailed behind as Botan chatted Michelle's ear off. Michelle hardly had the time to register how far they went. The train ride felt like just a few minutes but in reality was nearly an hour and a half.

"Is it really you?" Keiko asked with tears in her eyes as they met up at a mall in Tokyo.

"You better have been practicing your English." Michelle smiled as she jokingly scolded the girl in English.

"I'm so happy" Keiko hugged her teacher tight. It was poor manners but she didn't care. She had been so scared that the teacher they had all grown to love would be killed. They wasted the day shopping, spending Botan's money on some clothes and basic items she would need to get by.

As the afternoon dragged on, Michelle slipped out of the dress shop and into a small café. Coffee was needed, badly. Keeping up with teenagers was making her feel old.

On the radio in the café a news report played. A woman's body had been found at a nearby park. She had suffered grave injuries and sexual assault, the female reporter explained. It was believed that the body belonged to the missing American teacher, aged 25.

Michelle listened as the reporter explained that how the body was placed couldn't be explained. No video surveillance of the area showed anyone entering or leaving in the timeframe. It was as if the body appeared out of nowhere.

Out of the corner of her eye, Michelle caught a glimpse of a brunet, falling out of her chair. Michelle was quick to the woman's side, helping her to sit up.

"Are you alright?" Concern was thick in her voice as she eyed the tired woman. It didn't look like she had slept in a week. Her eyes were bloodshot.

"They found her. She's dead." The woman clutched at Michelle. It was pathetic, the woman knew, but she cried into the shoulder of this kind stranger. Michelle rubbed her back and offered soothing words until the woman calmed down.

She helped the tired woman off the ground and into a chair and went off to get her a drink. Green tea, three sugars, just as she knew the woman liked it. Sitting in the chair next to the woman, she set the warm cup down.

"Drink, it will help some."

"Thank you…" the woman mumbled as she sipped at it. "How did you know?" She eyed the stranger with the pale blue hair.

Michelle was thankful her gem was hidden, a trick Kurama had taught her while they stayed in his den.

"I assumed you're American. Most Americans I know take their tea like that…" Michelle shrugged.

"I'm Sara…Sorry about that." The woman didn't look up from her tea. She was embarrassed and heartbroken. She had refused to believe Michelle wouldn't come back to her. But they found her. She was dead. Michelle was dead.

"Tomoe, Micheru but Micheru is fine... Is there anything else I can do for you? I can sit with you, if you would like?" Michelle had given the name printed on her new identification. She was now Tomoe, Micheru. It was so close to who she was, yet it wasn't her name.

They sat together for an hour, Sara telling her about her friend. When they parted, Michelle left Sara with her number, should she need anyone to talk to. It was a new number for a phone just purchased today.

To Sara she was a kind stranger. Michelle hoped she would call.

Sara would be okay, Michelle knew that now.

Her friend intended to finish the year contract. Sara believed it was what Michelle would have wanted, and she was right. Sara had told her how she was going to see everything she could in Japan, do everything she could, even if that meant staying for an additional year long contract. She needed to see and do everything Michelle couldn't do now, couldn't see now. She wanted to see everything Michelle had said they would do together.

Michelle smiled sadly as she stood, watching her dearest friend walk away. She would return home, to the apartment that was now all hers and grade papers and plan lessons to the best of her ability. She would fight on. She would carry on. She would be okay.

It took a few weeks for Michelle to adjust to life at the temple. Yusuke, Kuwabara and Keiko often visited once during the week and one the weekends. Per their request, she began teaching them English again. Keiko's parents even paid her for her private lessons.

Kurama visited much more often. Michelle felt bad about the long trips he would take so often to see her but every time she protested he would tell her that mates shouldn't be apart. She loved her time with him.

Sara had called her a few times and their new friendship was starting to grow. Kurama had to often remind Michelle to allow it to grow naturally, slowly over time. He was also often reminding her not to give away her identity. Sometimes, Michelle wanted nothing more than to joke over old memories with her dearest friend. Never again. They would have to have make new memories that would, in time, if she was lucky, become old memories.

After six months she had a few English students from town in addition to her dear friends. She often made the trip to Tokyo to spend time with Sara. For the last two weeks she had been excited for a group trip to the hot springs near the temple. Sara was pleased to find that some of Michelle's students were also friends with Micheru. It made her happy to see that they were not left too troubled over her friend's death.

If only the police could catch the monsters that put Michelle through such pain and took her life. With a shake of her head, Sara put such thoughts out of her mind. She had made up her mind; she was going to be happy. She was going to live her life how Michelle would have wanted her to, with a smile on her face.

It was winter now and a few inches of fluffy snow graced the ground. Sara had lagged behind while she was lost in thought and the group had gotten ahead of her. She had to jog to catch up as Micheru waved and called to her.

Behind her new friend, Shuuichi was descending to one knee. Large snowflakes fell all around them and Sara slowed to a walk. She watched as something she didn't expect played out before her.

"Cheru." Kurama called softly from where he knelt behind her, to get her attention. It was a nickname he adopted for her. It worked well for both her actual name and her new name. Their friends fell silent, or at least so it seemed. He was always so careful to call her by her new name when they were with Sara and Michelle had gotten used to it with time.

The forest was thick around them. Behind him in the distance was the inn they would be staying at for the weekend. It would be a perfect winter get away with the snow.

Michelle turned and her breath caught in her throat. Never once did they talk about this. He wasn't human. She wasn't human anymore. This was something decidedly human and she had completely written off the idea of something like this ever happening to her. Their relationship wasn't that of humans and so this would have little meaning for them.

Suddenly, Michelle found it still held a whole lot of meaning to her.

"Michelle." He whispered, knowing Sara wouldn't hear. In his hand was a box. A black box. Michelle's hands went to her mouth and her eyes went wide.

He waited for what felt like an eternity before he spoke again. He didn't launch into a speech. It wasn't needed. In the black box, was a simple silver ring. Rather than a large diamond, it held a pearl with just the slightest tint of blue in its color. Surrounding the pearl was a ring of small diamonds.

"Would you allow me the honor of having you to call as my wife?" He asked in English. The wording felt sloppy in his mouth but he didn't care. He wanted to ask her in her language, even if he wasn't always the perfect master of it.

Words failed her and so Michelle simply fell into his arms. She was sure he would catch her. She nodded against his neck as she clutched him.

"I have an apartment for us." He whispered as he held her.

She never realized how badly she wanted this. She leaned back and kissed him hard, not caring who was watching.

Her friends, Sara included, cheered. The weekend was spent relaxing. Well as much as Michelle could. Sara, Keiko and Botan all wanted to begin planning the wedding before she even got her coat off. A western wedding or a traditional Japanese wedding? A gown or a kimono? Questions flew at her.

Kurama simply wrapped his arms around her, pulling her back to his chest as she began to feel overwhelmed.

"Why don't we do both?" He offered. He had just gotten a promotion at his stepfather's company and the bonus would allow him to pay for both a western ceremony and a traditional temple ceremony in addition to the reception.

Michelle liked that idea.

As they left at the end of the weekend, Michelle smiled as she watched Sara place a white rose on the rocks just outside of the hot spring's water.

"I wish you could have been here Chelle." Sara's voice was thick with tears.

Kurama squeezed Michelle's hand before he spoke.

"I think she's watching over you." He offered. His mate smiled at his words.

Yes, she was watching over her, and she was proud of her.

* * *

_I didn't expect to cry during this chapter. But I did, it was odd. This story means a lot to me. I started it with no idea where it would take me, writing blind. It changed direction out of nowhere and now we have this. This truly became a story of acceptance- in more ways than one. Just as Michelle learned to accept the horrors done to her and what the man she loves really is, just as Kurama learns to accept that his past and what he is doesn't make him unworthy of true love, I learned to accept my writing. _

_Thus, I would like to thank you. Each and every one of you, for reading this. Another thanks goes out to every single person who reviewed- you are the ones who taught me to accept my writing. You are the ones who helped me find my voice. So, I thank you, each and every one of you. Even those who picked apart my writing with the best of intentions and left me feeling attacked and hurt. I felt that way because of my own issues and I believe through ALL of your words, I have grown. _

_I hope you agree. _

_In the next few months you will probably see my next work, titled "Mute"- the Hiei x oc work that really plays with Kurama and Shiori, what would happen if she found out about demons? If she found one and took her home to nurse back to health?_

_I do hope you all review this chapter at least. I would love to know what you think of it. _

~_Tsuki_


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